Dear Editor:
Watching the premieres of the movies made during the Moab Showdown 49 Hour Short Film competition renewed my faith in humankind.
The short films were staggering in style and imagination, all produced by local members of the community ranging from kids to seniors and everyone in-between.
Each production had to write, shoot and edit a two- to eight-minute film within 49 hours, a heroic accomplishment for a pro, a miracle for an unskilled novice working with unpredictable equipment.
Some memorable highlights from the movies for me are a sunrise vista shot over Castle Valley in black and white noir style, with a detective in 1940s-style hat and trench coat (the film “Crooked Fairies”), an elaborate choreographed fight scene shot silhouetted by gigantic prehistoric creatures swimming in the background (in “The Man Who Shot First”), the isolated loneliness of a young boy left to fend for himself after a forced separation from his parents (“Walls”) and one of my favs, “School Rules,” in which middle school students enforce school rules for two days resulting in an astounding success rate of code enforcement. Director Dave Olsen has a new calling!
Consider filmmaking classes at the middle and high schools an investment in our future entrepreneurs.
Kudos to the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission Director Bega Metzner and assistant Michael Edwards for igniting a fun, endearing opportunity to encourage Indie film making in Moab. May the Showdown be the first of many to come!
Kaki Hunter
Moab, Utah
