Award-winning short film to screen tonight in Manchester
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State Sen. Robert Hartwell has a part in the award-winning short film “Citizen Producer,” screening at 6:30 tonight at Mulligan’s in Manchester. Photo provided |
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By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: February 8, 2010
MANCHESTER – Michael Ellenbogen’s 60-second promotional film, which features a number of locals including Democratic state Sen. Robert Hartwell of Bennington, won him a trip to the Sundance Film Festival and may allow him to make a full-length feature film in Manchester this year.
Ellenbogen, who has lived in Manchester for about two years, will be presenting the film, “Citizen Producer” at Mulligan’s on Route 7A at 6:30 p.m. today.
With almost 20 years in the film industry, including producing the independent feature, “Margarita Happy Hour,” and working in distribution for Fine Line Features on films like “Traffic,” “Being John Malkovich” and “Monsoon Wedding.” Ellenbogen decided about two years ago to move from New York City to Manchester so he could “reconnect” with some of his own scripts.
But when he learned of the “Make Movie Magic” contest from California-based Entertainment Partners, and its grand prize of a trip to the Sundance Film Festival, he felt confident that he could plan a trip to Park City.
“When I saw this competition, I saw it as my opportunity to revive the ‘filmmaking beast.’ … Now Sundance is a very invigorating place to go as a filmmaker. I know a lot of people in the film world that I have sort of lost touch with in the last couple of years, so when I saw this, I said, ‘This, this is something I’m going to win and it’s going to help me reconnect with a lot of people in the industry,’” he said.
The movie was made entirely in Manchester at almost no cost using local talent such as Hartwell and Alyssa Polacsek, another local filmmaker who shot a movie in the Manchester area last year.
Hartwell said on Friday that while he was used to being in front of a camera because of his political career, acting in a film was something he had never done before but enjoyed.
“It was great fun to participate in making a film. I would love to do it again sometime,” he said.
Ellenbogen also found local help behind the scenes like his co-producer Elliot Long and cinematographer Antonio Panetta, both from Greater Northshire Access Television.
The script was written and the movie shot in a two-day period in December.
“One piece came together after another and before you knew it, we had ourselves an award-winning film,” Ellenbogen said.
Winning the “Make Movie Magic” contest with the film about how a young producer learns she can put together the film she needs to make using Entertainment Partners’ products allowed Ellenbogen to make his fourth trip to the Sundance Film Festival.
While the film played on a loop at the New York lounge on Main Street during the festival, Ellenbogen got a chance to meet with producers and people in the film industry, attend seminars and more.
“Sometimes, you sit down and have a good long conversation with somebody and talk about what you’re there for, which is making movies,” he said.
Using the momentum from the award and using the crew assembled for “Citizen Producer,” Ellenbogen is hoping to shoot another movie, a romantic comedy budgeted at around $200,000 called “So Not Me” in Manchester.
“This is something that I’m hoping to put together — a low-budget film production in the Manchester area, hopefully, to be shot in the spring. I’d like to focus on getting as much talent, behind the camera and in front of the camera, from the Manchester area as possible to make this project happen,” he said.
Ellenbogen has roots in the Manchester area because his family had a home in Peru, Vt., and now has a house in Manchester. In 2002, he also served as director of programming for the Manchester International Film Festival.
For more information about tonight’s screening, visit the Web site of Ellenbogen’s production company at www.jackofheartsproductions.com.
patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com
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