The Southern Maryland Film Festival will be held in Leonardtown on Saturday, July 11th from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. More than 40 films produced by local filmmakers will be shown in eight convenient locations throughout town. These films represent a variety of genres—music, comedy, documentary, and drama—and range in length from two to seventy-five minutes.
Don’t missfeature presentations of 6 Hearts, 1 Beat with Tray Chaney from HBO’s The Wire and Every Other Day is Halloween with Count Gore de Vol himself Dick Dyszel.
Tray Chaney, a highly celebrated up and coming actor, is best known for his role as “Poot” on the HBO’s Original hit series The Wire. This young man of many talents began his career as a performer at the early age of four years old. After graduating from high school, Tray caught the acting bug and auditioned for and landed the role of “Poot” on HBO’s The Wire. In 2003, Mr. Chaney made his first movie appearance in Head of State with Chris Rock and Bernie Mac which was followed by a role in The Salon starring the highly acclaimed actress/producer Vivica A. Fox. He published his inspirational autobiography THE TRUTH YOU CAN’T BeTRAY in 2010. Tray’s newest venture includes stepping into the world of music as a writer, producer, and rapper. Mr. Chaney stars in the love story 6Hearts 1Beat, a movie he co-produced. He uses every minute to hone his talents as he continues to innovate and entertain. Mr. Chaney will be attending the Southern Maryland Film Festival to present and discuss the film.
Dick Dyszel has been entertaining a wide variety of audiences for decades. During the ’70s and ’80s he was a Producer/Talent for WDCA-TV in Washington, DC. During those years he appeared in The Bozo Circus and became a TV icon as Captain 20. As The Captain, Mr. Dyszel brought to families such educational and informational shows as The Channel 20 Club, W.O.W.!, and the Emmy Award winning Kids’ Break! For the adult audience, Mr. Dyszel became Washington’s longest running Horror Host as Count Gore De Vol, who made the best out of some really bad movies on Creature Feature. In 1998, The Count took on international celebrity status by becoming the first Horror Host on the Internet with Creature Feature the Weekly Web Program. A continuous stream of new material is produced in his suburban TV studio. In addition, The Count appears at a number of conventions across America. In 2009, C.W. Prather made a documentary chronicling Dick Dyszel’s career, called Every Other Day Is Halloween. Mr. Dyszel will be attending the Southern Maryland FIlm Festival to present and discuss the film.
All films will be shown on a big screen at either the College of Southern Maryland’s Leonardtown Campus or Romauld Hall on the campus of St. Mary’s Ryken High School. Selected showings will feature Question & Answer sessions with filmmakers in smaller, more intimate venues including the Model Home at Clarks Rest by Marrick Homes, Big Larry’s Eatery, Heritage Printing, Crazy for Ewe, The Rex, and the Leonardtown Arts Center.
Ticket-holders will also have the chance to talk with filmmakers during several Meet & Greets that will be held throughout the day at the North End Art Gallery, Opal Art Gallery, BTB Coffee Bar, and Café des Artistes.
An all-day ticket includes access to all movie venues and Meet & Greets. Purchase your tickets now at www.smdff.org and save. Advanced tickets are $20.00 adult/$10.00 children under 12 (all day). Half-Day AM (10 a.m. -2 p.m.) and Half-Day PM (2 p.m. -6 p.m.) tickets are also available for $12.00 adult/$7.00 child. Same day ticket sales will be CASH ONLY at the Box Office on the Square and will cost a little more. All day tickets will be $25.00 adult/$15.00 child. Half-Day AM or PM tickets will be $15.00 adult/$10.00 child. Please note: You will not be able to see all of the movies in a half-day. Parking is free throughout the town.
Several related activities will be held during the day that are free and open to the public. Three panel discussions will be conducted from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at the College of Southern Maryland’s Leonardtown Campus covering the following topics: Film & Community, Film as Art, and Getting into the Film Industry. Panelists include Mark Rhoda and Joanne Klein from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and industry professionals Tray Chaney, Amber Unkle, and Derrick Edwards.
While in town, be sure to get your very own Red Carpet picture at Caught My Eye (22760 Washington Street between The Hair Company and The Front Porch) and visit the “Celebrating the Silver Screen” exhibit at North End Gallery (41652 Fenwick Street) where the magic and glamour of Hollywood is expressed by North End Gallery’s member artists. The “Celebrating the Silver Screen” show runs from June 30 through August 2. For more information, call the gallery at 301-475-3130 or visit its website at www.northendgallery.org.
Visit smdff.org and the Southern Maryland’s Film Festival Facebook page for updates to the event’s schedule and maps. For more information call 240-298-0183 or email smdfilmfest@gmail.com.
