An estimated 42,250 U.S. women will die from breast cancer in 2024. – National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
One of the most recognizable tools in filmmaking, even to non-filmmakers, is a piece of translucent acrylic attached to two wooden sticks. Someone shoves this device in front of the camera and smacks it, announcing a scene or a take or some other filmmaking term. The device makes a sharp “clap” sound, and is commonly known as a clapperboard, or more properly, a slate. I thought of that slate during my attendance at three of the Heartland International Film Festivals films.
On Friday, October 11th, Paula Nicewanger (Creative Director of this publication) and I attended the U.S. Premiere of “Micro Budget” at the Kan-Kan Cinema. In this film, a man decides to shoot a low-budget indie movie, with the objective of selling it to a streaming service for “a (bunch)-ton of money.” Terry’s wife is 9 months pregnant, but they still decide to move from Iowa to Los Angeles to shoot the movie. Even though they are on a micro-budget, Terry wants to shoot the scenes in the movie in the order that they occur, which is a budget buster. One of the characters is filming the filming, with the idea of making a documentary. As those scenes are shot, the camera shifts in and out of focus as the photographer struggles to record the shifting conversations. The director, Morgan Evans spoke to the audience after the film, and noted that he had financed the film, which was shot in 11 days, using his debit and credit cards.
On Saturday, October 12th, Paula and I got to chuckle and snort at the shenanigans presented by the film “Tapawingo” in its Midwest premiere. The two main characters, Nate (played by Jon Heder) and Will hang out at the Tapawingo Regional Library where they are training to “save nuns from rogue contras” or to “storm …barren haciendas of the banana republics.” In the meantime, they must not mess up Nate’s mother’s house. The director, Dylan Narang spoke to the audience after the movie as we continued to chuckle and snort at the antics of the characters and the late 70s, early 80s soundtrack. (Paula and I are both survivors of the 70s.) The film and soundtrack are nods to “Napoleon Dynamite” which also starred Jon Heder. “Tapawingo” will play again on Friday, October 18th at Emagine Noblesville.
On Sunday, October 13th, your intrepid reporters (CJ and Paula) sat down to see “Stripper Boyz,” a “narrative-documentary” about two men who decide to eschew the traditional bachelor party for the groom, and to travel to Las Vegas to train to be male strippers. We are treated to the sight of two very hairy and slightly pudgy guys trying to make it as strippers in Las Vegas’ Aussie Heat Male Revue. They strip and train with the objective of making this an avocation, rather than a vocation, and to reignite and solidify their friendship. They work out with strippers that one of the men notes are “incredibly ripped,” which describes neither of them. They find someone to help them and are able to achieve the objective of being a part of the Revue as surprise audience participants. They head home, content to have achieved their objective, vague though it may have been.
Heartland Film Festival was founded in 1991, which makes this year’s presentations part of “take 33.” The festival concludes on Sunday, October 20th with an offering of 19 films, closing with a “clap,” and an audience clapping.
cjon3acd@att.net