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#InFocus: Local Filmmaker Selected to Attend Sundance

Published  March 25, 2016 4:06pm EDT
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Langhorne, Pa. (WTXF) A local filmmaker was selected to attend the Sundance Film Festival. FOX 29 Photojournalist Bill Rohrer shares his story.

For filmmaker Bill Crossland, the love of making movies started at an early age.

"When I was about 5 I got a VHS copy of Jurassic Park and it blew my mind. This is amazing and I want to do it," he told FOX 29. "Everything about it the music the cinematography and how it gave you that sense of wonder and amazement."

To get some of his script on film, he decided to lift a scene from the feature script and make it a short film called 'Catching Up.'

"It is about a physically disabled man who falls in love with a non-disabled woman and lacking confidence he turns to his best friend," Bill explained. "Some of this is based on my own experiences. I may or may not had my heartbroken in life," he said.

Bill knew that writing, directing, and editing the film wouldn't be a problem, but finding a main character may be challenging. So he added one more title--actor.

" At first I was terrified. I never thought in a million years did I think I would be acting," said Bill. "One how easy is it going to be to find, really with no budget, a disabled actor that is close by."

It took about three days to shoot and a few months to edit. After he was finished editing he entered 'Catching Up' into a few festivals.

"Sundance to film makers is pretty much the Holy Grail. It is where the film industry converses every year to celebrate new film from film makers," Bill explained.

Thousands of films were submitted this year in the short film category. Bill Crossland's film was one of the few selected.

Bill hopes his film can change how people with disabilities are portrayed on film.

"I think when you have a disabled character in a movie it takes over the whole tone of the movie. The whole thing becomes a disability movie. Our thing is what if you take a disabled character and drop it into a genre that we all know," he explained.

For now, he is focusing on Sundance.