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| Photo by Kathleen Lange — For The Capital Lisa and Pericles Lewnes of Annapolis share a laugh as they talk about their new project,the Annapolis Pretentious Film Society, which is devoted to screening independent movies. The“love bucket” is for audience contributions tothe filmmakers whose work is shown, and thefront of the club’s T-shirts feature a spacealien reminiscent of 1950s cult movie classics |
Independent spirit, independent films
Shhh. There's a secret about the founders of Annapolis Pretentious Film Society - they're not pretentious at all.
Pericles and Lisa Lewnes chose the name because it's the complete opposite of who they are and how they want their new group to function. Plus, it's a good for a laugh or two, the casually dressed couple said last week.
"We just don't want to take ourselves too seriously," said Lisa, who like her husband was wearing the society's T-shirt, the front of which features an alien similar to the ones in schlocky, low-budget, 1950s science fiction films.
What the Lewneses are serious about, however, is providing a venue to screen independent movies, and that's the main thrust of the society. The nation's economic woes have translated into tough times for so-called "indie" flicks, they explained, because there are fewer opportunities for screenings, distribution and even festival spots.
So, the Lewneses, who just happen to be filmmakers themselves, started making plans this spring. They contacted other filmmakers, secured some movies and purchased projection equipment.
If the group's kickoff event last weekend was any indication, they have a hit on their hands.
"I'm happy with the way things went," Pericles said. "I think word ... is getting around."
More than 30 people turned out at The Whiskey in Annapolis on an overcast Sunday afternoon to watch the sci-fi movie "Ink" by Denver-based filmmakers Jamin and Kiowa Winans. There was also a short film and coming attractions.
Mike Hearne, owner of The Whiskey, said he liked the idea of the film club from the start, and viewed it as a win-win situation since the upstairs music room would normally be vacant at the time the movies were shown anyway. "If it's good, we play it, musicwise and moviewise," he said.
Kiowa Winans wrote in an e-mail that Pericles "has his finger on the pulse of the truly independent scene."
"As a filmmaker you know the most important thing is simply for your film to get watched, and there shouldn't be any boundaries about whether that is at a theater, in someone's living room, or on the second floor of a bar in Annapolis," she wrote. "We love it!"
The Lewneses, who both have day jobs in journalism, charged $5 a person so they could recoup some of the cost of their equipment purchases. They also had a collection jar called the "love bucket" for contributions that will be sent directly to the filmmakers whose work was shown.
"The quality of these movies is so good, I'm very excited," Pericles said.
His inspiration for setting up the gathering was independent film producer Ted Hope of New York, who has flicks like "The Savages" and "American Splendor" to his credit. Hope blogs about independent film and the industry, and has been holding events similar to the Annapolis Pretentious Film Society meetings all year.
"If we can clone Peri and airdrop him into 50 other markets, we'd soon have the backbone for a hybrid ... distribution system," Hope said.
Projecting an image
As the crowd at The Whiskey munched on sandwiches and sipped drinks before the movies started last Sunday, Pericles nervously paced back and forth. He said he gets antsy when he has to speak to a group of people, as he did before the screening began.
"Welcome," he told the audience. "The reason we're here is to connect you with independent filmmakers - fiercely independent filmmakers."
In his case, that includes the recent abstract feature "LOOP" and past films like the mixed martial arts documentary "Fighter" and the cult classic "Redneck Zombies." He isn't above showing one of his own films at a future meeting of the film society, APFS for short, though he has plenty of other movies lined up, too.
Most of the people who turned out heard about the event via the Internet, though the Lewneses did print some fliers as well.
"I'm tired of films about big robots or people that change into robots," joked Sharon Rogillio of Annapolis. "We don't have a lot of art-house type events (like this)," she said.
Another attendee, Jeanne Lesko of Annapolis, echoed Rogillio's thoughts. "It just sounded cool," she said. "It sounded like an interesting thing to do."
Others also mentioned that the enthusiasm of Pericles made the event all the more enticing.
"Why not?" opined Adrian Kessler of Odenton, who said he was a sci-fi fan.
Pericles said he hopes more people will think that way as he makes plans for a second screening next month. The main attraction Sept. 20 at The Whiskey will be "Woodpecker," which is a comedic documentary about the hunt for the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker.
"I'm really hoping that the Annapolis Pretentious Film Society is going to grow because independent film needs the audience," Pericles said. "They need an infusion of people to start talking about what is out there, flying under the radar of Hollywood."
For more information on the Annapolis Pretentious Film Society, visit the Web site at www.pretentiousfilm.com or e-mail pretentiousfilm@gmail.com.
Link to Story Video by: Sunny Hess
