Film festival coming to Priest Theatre; local talent to be sought by directors
By Chantelle Marcelle
For The Herald

Photo By Jennifer Walker Photos Provided Three Independent films, pictured above will be shown at the Priest Theatre next Thursday as part of a film industry seminar. The directors of the films will also be on hand in hopes of finding local talent for an upcoming film project.

HIGH SPRINGS – The Priest Theatre in High Springs will present something quite unusual next Thursday: three independent movies and a film industry seminar.

Director Jon Russell Cring and his wife and cinematographer Tracy plan to stop at the theater for their own small-scale film festival on July 9.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. with an acting and film workshop, during which the couple will discuss the Extra/Ordinary Film Project that they undertook in order to produce 12 movies in 20 months on a minimal budget.

Beginning at 5 p.m., three of the movies from the project -- “BUDD,” “Bernee,” and “Four on the Floor” -- will be shown.

Tickets for the entire event, including the seminars are $30. Entrance into the films is $5 apiece.

Jon Cring said their goal was to get back to character development and away from high-budget effects.

“I’m not somebody who puts down Hollywood,” he said. “I think what they do is fantastic. I just think there’s more room out there for a different kind of filmmaking.”

The Crings also hope to find local talent for an upcoming film project that will focus on Florida’s historical events or figures.

To purchase tickets in advance or find more information about the event, visit:

http://tinyurl.com/nehsos

A summary of the three films is as follows:

*BUDD: After humiliating his high school English class, Budd, with the help of a psychiatrist, must delve into the past to move into a new future.

*Bernee: This is a film about a waitress and her adventures raising a daughter as a single mother in a small town, juggling plates, dealing with culture shock, coming of age and also dealing with synthetic marijuana and lesbians while trying to pay the electric bill before the lights go out.

*Four on the Floor: This is a rock-and-roll musical about four high school friends trying to keep their dreams of becoming a famous rock band alive while learning to make a living repairing cars.