March 22, 2004

Cedar Falls natives heading to C.R. film festival with winning entries.

By KELSEY FOUTCH, Courier Staff Writer

CEDAR FALLS --- Two filmmakers with Cedar Falls ties are counting on their home state to take them to bigger and better things.

The films of Ross Freeman, a former University of Northern Iowa student and Adam Brooks, a graduate of Hawkeye Community College and now of Valencia, Calif., have been selected for the Cedar Rapids Film Festival, running April 2-3. The festival showcases filmmakers with strong ties to Iowa. In addition to Freeman and Brooks' works, "Shell Rock Honey and Flowers," by UNI student Sarah E. Jensen, also will be shown.

Freeman, a recent UNI graduate, is taking the festival as an opportunity to showcase his first attempt at a 60-minute film, titled "The Story About When Larggy Got a Bee Sting and Shut Himself in His Room and Went Insane." He and his filmmaking partner, Nick Wilson, grew up together in Grimes and have made multiple short films.

"It's pretty much explanatory in the title. It's a bizarre mix between horror and satire and comedy, so it's a little experimental," Freeman says.

He believes the unique nature of the film as well as the cinematography may have drawn the eye of the judges.

"Nick and I are very interested in comic books, so when we storyboarded, they naturally emulated comic books," says Freeman. "Our movie is just different --- a strange, bizarre movie."

The film was made more cost-effective with the use of digital media, Freeman's at-home editing setup and some funding from a campus organization. Though the distance between Freeman and Wilson, who is living in Grimes, makes it hard for the two to make another film, the plans are definitely in the works.

"I haven't entered it anywhere else. My approach to this is, if it gets a little attention at the festival I'll take it other places," says Freeman. "It was Nick and I's first attempt at a near feature-length film, but if we take another shot at it, I think we can make something really fantastic."

Despite his success in Cedar Rapids, Freeman doesn't have any dreams about overnight success or Hollywood.

"I'm realistic and practical. It's just a hobby that I would love to see turn into a profession but doubt it ever will," he says. "Right now I'm just happy to make cheesy B movies on extremely low budgets. That's fine with me. We have a great time doing it, and if it doesn't turn into a full-time job, I'm not going to cry about it."

Brooks wouldn't mind if Hollywood came knocking. He moved from Cedar Falls to California in 1998, when he was 25.

"I feel I have a very commercial spirit. I ... like all the big movies," says Brooks. "Films like 'Boys Don't Cry' are not in my future. I am more of a 'Usual Suspects' meets John Woo with a little comic book influence thrown in."

Brooks has his own film company, called Vigilance Films, titled after one of the Cedar Valley bands he was in. His winning film, titled "Nicki's Abortion," is about "one woman realizing her relationship is on the brink of complete disaster ... now she is pregnant and faces a huge dilemma."

The film is one of a dozen shorts Brooks has made, in addition to what he calls his "feature-length disaster."

"I consider my failed feature film my version of going to film school --- the school of hard knocks," he says.

Brooks and his wife plan to attend the festival, where he will introduce his film. In addition to winning in Cedar Rapids, "Nicki's Abortion" has been showcased on triggerstreet.com, Kevin Spacey's Web site for young filmmakers. Brooks says it's received some positive feedback.

"I think people like the technical aspects of the filmmaking the most, and secondly the writing in that there is a good twist at the end," he says.