News

Independentfilm festival to feature workshops

By Steve Dunn/Gate City Managing Editor

Published: Thursday, August 23, 2007 2:32 PM CDT

Keokuk's first film festival Sept. 6-9 will have workshops on weapon safety, stunt safety, proper costuming, movie making and music that will be open at no cost to the public.

Those are just some of the highlights of the Keokuk Independent Film Festival presented by Hank Hustus' Big Gun Productions.

Dubbed “Hollywood on the Mississippi,” the four-day event is expected to draw at least 200 to 300 people on Friday, Sept. 7, and Saturday, Sept. 8, according to Hustus.

Hustus's weapon safety workshop in front of the Grand Theatre Friday and Saturday afternoons will cover the proper use of weapons and blanks on the set.

“Blanks are the same thing (as weapons),” he said. “They can kill.”

A stunt safety workshop also will be held in front of the Grand Theatre. Led by old school stunt man T.J. House, the workshop will cover simple falls, reactions to gunshots and camera angles used to record punches. House worked as a stunt man in Hollywood in the 1950s, ‘60s and early ‘70s, Hustus said.

As an added bonus for workshop participants, a stunt demonstration may be conducted in which someone is “shot” off a building.

Hustus's wife, Karen, will lead a workshop on proper costuming for movies or the “tricks of the trade,” as her husband says.

Makeup artist Michael Peterson will conduct a movie makeup workshop at 10 a.m. Friday at the Grand Theatre. Peterson has worked with such films as “Van Helsing,” “The Passion of the Christ” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”

Two-time Grammy Award nominee “Hank” Feldman will conduct a music workshop covering the use of music scores and copyright laws. As founder of the F.A.M.E. Foundation, Feldman guides and delivers the educational services of more than 4,000 at-risk children and families.

He was a professor of music, the associate director of bands and the professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Arizona from 1992 to 1997. He served as the assistant band director and conductor of university bands at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., during 1990-92.

While all workshops are free to the public, donations of food items will be accepted for the Evangelical Free Church's food pantry.

In addition, a Fashion Through the Ages Fashion Show will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Grand Theatre, with fashions from the 1700s through the 1930s.

Registration for the visiting film makers will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, followed by an opening reception at 7 p.m. at Meyers' Courtyard. The evening will end at 9 p.m. with a free showing of “Cinerama Adventure,” which was written and produced by Keokuk native David Strohmaier.

Three hours of entertainment (from 6 to 9 p.m.) will be offered on Friday night, Sept. 7, including bluegrass-style music and The Lone Gunman Band from Fort Madison.

The awards banquet will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Meyers' Courtyard. RSVP by Aug. 30 to the film festival office through the Website www. keokukindependentfilmfestival.com. The cost is $25 per person and $40 per couple.

The winning films will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Grand Theatre, with free admission.

Three more films will be shown at the Plaza Theater at the River City Mall for a nominal charge. “The Searches” with John Wayne will be shown Friday, Sept. 7; “The Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner Saturday, Sept. 8; and “Gone With the Wind” with Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh on Sunday, Sept. 9.

“We're looking to do this on an annual basis,” said Hustus as he talked about the future of the first-of-its-kind event in Keokuk. “We're also planning to build a movie studio and start a film school in the area. We hope to have the studio done in three to five years.”

He also hopes the film festival will lead to filming in the Keokuk area.

“Keokuk is a prime area for filming,” Hustus said. “We're hoping to show the area off. It goes hand and hand with tourism.”

Kirk Brandenberger, executive director of the Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau, said the film festival provides an opportunity to try something new and unique to the area.

“We say we should do something to keep our young people. There are several people from Keokuk in Los Angeles now trying to make it in the film industry,” Branderberger added. “This may keep them here. This will provide a starting point at least.”