Independent film to premiere in Antioch
Independent filmmaker Tom Kleine of Volo will again see his name in lights as his third film premieres Saturday, Oct. 23, at the P.M. & L. Theatre in Antioch.
In his latest film, “One Year,” Kleine has combined his two passions: teaching and filmmaking.
“I've had many experiences with teaching and wanted to show teachers in a positive light,” said Kleine, who is in his 10th year of teaching special needs kindergartners in Lake County.
Currently, he's a resource teacher at the Early Education Center, which serves all Round Lake area kindergartners.
“It (the film) is near and dear to my heart,” said Kleine, who wrote and edited “One Year.” “Obviously, teaching is very important to me, and filmmaking is one of my passions, so merging the two is a neat experience.”
“One Year” is the story of a man named Sam (Bryan Harris of Washington, D.C.). While interviewing for a job with the Vexicon Corporation, Sam relives his fifth-grade year fondly remembering his teacher, Mrs. Carroll (Elizabeth Tannehill of Antioch), who helped him become a productive student, allowing him to grow into the man he is today.
As a child, Sam (Brooks Whitlock of Northbrook) faced many unfortunate circumstances and his life seemed to be on the road to failure.
Mrs. Carroll is put to the test as Sam's life spirals out of control. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to “save this child,” but his situation worsens. Who will help him survive his horrible home life?
Mrs. Carroll's answer to that question changes Sam's life and the heart of a fellow burned-out teacher, Mrs. Russell (Lorrie Ferguson of Salem, Wis.).
As Sam's job interview progresses, he gives a few corporate “big wigs” a lesson on the reality of growing up in tough circumstances and beating the odds to survive.
This story shows the impact good teachers can have on students' lives and vice versa, Kleine said.
“One Year” is the prequel to Kleine's award-winning film “One Week” from 2008. There are many recurring characters and connections between the two films, Kleine said. But “One Year” is a completely different story because it focuses on the teacher's story.
“We hope that people like the style of it,” he said.
The movie has been a labor of love for everyone involved. Many of those involved in the project volunteered their time and put in countless hours helping Kleine with the film.
“One of the interesting things is that it took us one year to complete the film,” he said. “We started our casting about a year ago.”
Right now, they're trying to raise money to enter the movie in film festivals across the country.
“We're planning on submitting the film to 20 film festivals, like we did with ‘One Week,'” Kleine said.
Most of the festivals are in the U.S., with many of them in California and New York.
“Our hope is to get the movie screened and then, hopefully, get it picked up by a distributor,” he said.
As for this weekend's premiere, Kleine said he's had a lot of support from the Round Lake school where he teaches, so he's really excited about the event.
There will be three showings of “One Year” Saturday, with the 6 p.m. screening a double feature of “One Year,” followed by “One Week.”
“I think it's a really touching story. I don't think there will be a dry eye by the end,” Kleine said. “My goal is to move people and show the importance of teaching.”
For details, see oneyearfilm.com.
If you go
If you go
What: “One Year” premiere
When: 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23; the 6 p.m. show is a double-feature of “One Year,” followed by “One Week”
Where: P.M. & L. Theatre, 877 Main St., Antioch
Tickets: $10
Details: oneyearfilm.com