Keeping it Reel: A Unique Opportunity for Local Filmmakers
Written by Kerry O’Donnell | Posted by: Michele Meek
The Reel Festival (formally the Reel Movement) will take place from May 28th to June 1st at the Somerville Theater, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA. The festival, organized by filmmakers Rod Webber, Ali Jalet and David Grophear, is a quarterly independent film showcase, featuring all genres, lengths and styles of films.
According to Webber, “The Reel Festival is a collaborative of like-minded individuals who share more than a dream. They share a mission. Our goal is to create a seed-bed for films which personify innovation, individuality and daring strokes of bold new cinema.
“Boston is known for its history and its wealth of universities and artists, but it has also got a vibrant filmmaking community, which has seen an explosion in the past couple of years, with the passing of tax incentives.” said Webber. “Being the birthplace of the American Revolution, it is no surprise that it has given birth to a new revolution in film.”
Webber said it is in that spirit that the festival organizers “hope to achieve a place for film that embodies individuality and expressiveness. Films that challenge and explore.” The festival’s formula is to headline a feature film, along with several dozen shorts. The last Reel Festival featured Webber’s controversial documentary A Man Among Giants and garnered attention from both the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe.
Webber, about whom the Boston Globe wrote, “the [director] to watch,” will be featuring his experimental film Northern Comfort, starring Webber and Greta Gerwig (Greenberg, Friends with Benefits), The film, shot in three days, is described as an existentialist character-study, in which Webber and Gerwig encounter a slice of snowy, northern Americana as they walk, talk, and drive their way to Canada for employment and health-care, respectively.
The main characters, Horace (Webber) and Cassandra (Gerwig), meet while traveling to Canada. Guided only by a set of books-on-tape of Greek philosopher Socrates, and bound together by circumstance, the mismatched duo must learn to work together or meander aimlessly throughout the frozen wilderness. When Cassandra is confronted with the reality that her sickness is worsening, she must decide whether to stick it out with Horace, or find her own way, knowing that her time is running out.
The Reel Festival is still accepting shorts of any genre for this month’s festival. Webber said they are also looking for features for the August/September showcase. For anyone wishing to submit, Webber can be reached at rod@rodwebber.com. Adds Webber, “We will consider any kind of movie. Just as long as you have something to say, we’ll help you say it.”
