“We want this festival to be a celebratory voice meant to empower filmmakers to continue working,” Catalano said. “My mission every year is to have the filmmakers in this region be excited that this festival is coming up, that they can get a film made specifically for this festival. In many cases, some films enter a vacuum of Facebook or YouTube and do not receive the necessary outlet they deserve. As a filmmaker, you need feedback from a live audience in a premiere-style environment. Feedback is necessary for the process.”
The 2025 festival lineup consists of:
“Creatures of Habit”
Directed by Bryon Jones
Overview: “Meekah, a determined journalist, makes a living solving the coldest of cold cases. What begins as a routine night of studying files and crime scene documents takes a chilling turn when an unexpected stranger pays her a visit.”
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
“Legends of Golf”
Directed by Evan Maines
Overview: This film was originally the pilot episode for a comedy Maines (“Trash Wife”) wrote and directed. It stars comedian Lee Kimbrell and is a humorous satire based in the culture of golf.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
“Looker”
Directed by Max Kaplan
Overview: “‘Looker’ follows Anna, who learns she is inexplicably cursed with melting out of existence whenever she is not perceived by others. In her desperation to survive, she must go to greater and greater lengths to be seen, with terrifying consequences.”
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
“Murdrum”
Directed by Job Gailey
Overview: “A man wakes to find an identical clone of himself, but his consciousness can’t seem to pick a body.”
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
“Stoned”
Directed by J.W. Cox
Overview: “A Midwestern stoner must decide between being ‘managerial material’ or accepting her role as a gun wielding, drug dealing criminal when a conflict with a co-worker escalates.”
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
“Sundays with Dad”
Directed by Thomas Angeletti
Overview: A heartfelt comedy concerning a middle-aged son who discovers his elderly father finding companionship in a unique way.
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
“The Universe”
Directed by Adam S. Depew
Overview: “In a last-ditch effort to save earth, a man sacrifices himself and is forced to relive a series of suppressed memories that become smeared by the detonation of a stellar bomb. This paranormal explosion of thoughts begins to blur the lines between reality and fiction; the only way out is forward.”
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
Catalano says the lineup provides a strong cross-section of stories, themes and artistic visions.
“It’s a good collection of different types of genres, different types of movies,” Catalano said. “All of them are very well paced and very well made. Whenever you’re showing multiple people’s films, you’re always seeing a slice of representation of their personal story. There are real circumstances in these stories.”
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
He’s also cognizant of the appeal genres have whether the form is experimental, science fiction or a thriller.
“I always think of genre movies as putting the medicine in the applesauce,” Catalano said. “It’s more effective to make a genre movie instead of a straightforward drama due to subtext. People are still talking about ‘Night of the Living Dead’ because of its subtext. If a movie has some genre elements, you’re able to get more interesting messaging across that perhaps you couldn’t do in other films.”
This year’s festival will have an awards ceremony where numerous categories will be recognized including best picture, best director, best actor, best actress and best original screenplay. The John A. Russo Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented.
Catalano hopes audiences recognize the importance of supporting independent voices.
“There are a lot of great artists living among us,” he said. “We must continue to support the art community living here. Continued support of filmmakers in this region is crucial to originality. If you want to see new things you have to support independents.”
HOW TO GO
What: Catalano Film Festival
When: 5-9 p.m. Saturday, March 1
Where: Plaza Theatre, 33 S. Main St., Miamisburg
Cost: $15
More info: myplazatheatre.com
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
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