Fleetwood resident Kellen A. Cunningham directed the short film “This Time Tomorrow,” which was shot entirely in Kutztown and Fleetwood.
A film premiere will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Rickenbach Learning Center Auditorium on the Kutztown University campus. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The film is approximately 30 minutes and will be followed by a brief Q&A with the creators.
Directed by Cunningham, written by Seth Noggle, produced by Brandon Wood and Victor June, and associate produced by Geoffry O’Brien, the cast and crew is primarily made up of Kutztown University students and alumni, and members of the Kutztown community.
“Shooting locally, and working with local people, was partly a matter of necessity; this is where we are, and we simply didn’t have the funds to consider anything else. However, it goes beyond that,” said Cunningham. “The Kutztown community has supported us in many ways, and we care about it very much. We wanted to create a project that the community could feel like a part of, and I hope we’ve succeeded.”
He said several local businesses and organizations offered their support through fundraising, donations of food, and location use. These included Trinity Lutheran Church, Global Libations, Pop’s Malt Shoppe, Tommy Boy’s Pizza, Betty’s, and more. The Department of Electronic Media at Kutztown University and the Kutztown Community Partnership also offered their support.
“The generosity of the local people and organizations has been the best part of working in Kutztown,” he said.
The film does not specifically identify a location but instead gives that small town feel.
“Although we wanted to honor the local community, we also wanted to make the film relevant and accessible to anyone. The setting is meant to represent the feel of the small towns that can be found anywhere in the country. To those of us who’ve been part of this community, I imagine it will always feel like Kutztown,” he said.
In the film, a depressed journalist investigates a story and finds a peculiar companion. Together, they explore the challenges of life and finality of death over a daily cup of coffee.
A 2013 KU graduate with a degree in electronic media and professional writing, Cunningham has wanted to be a filmmaker for almost as long as he can remember.
“Many of our crewmembers share that dream.”
Cunningham said that a handful of them were involved in a previous production called “Inside,” which was shot in their free time with a very limited cast and crew.
“We were proud of the results as an experimental and learning endeavor, but we wanted to challenge ourselves more with our next effort. We set out to raise funds for better equipment, gather a larger cast and crew, and create a short film that could truly stand as a professional production. “This Time Tomorrow” is the final result of that goal,” he said.
The premiere is free to the public. Tickets can be reserved by emailing filmitnowproductions@gmail.com. Any unreserved tickets will be available at the door. All ages are welcome, but parents should note that the film deals with mature themes including depression, and contains a small amount of strong language.
“This Time Tomorrow” has also been accepted to the ReadingFilm FEST on Nov. 11 to 13.
