Community film project debuts Wednesday

As part of a 14-city Two-Week Turnaround Tour, filmmakers Joshua J. Mills and Jamie Blankenship came to Shreveport in late April to write, shoot and complete a short film with area filmmakers and actors.

They came up with "Never Left the Building," which is, according to a release, "an eerie story about Paul (Josh Davis) who visits his grandfather’s grave for guidance while down on his luck. At the grave, Paul meets a homeless man who takes him into the Municipal Auditorium where he quickly finds he can interact with the deceased. Supporting actors include McIver Williams, Jevon Miller, Chelsea David, Casey Varner and Andrei Constantinescu. The movie was written by Amber Hanel of Sculpted Entertainment and was entirely filmed at the Municipal Auditorium and the graveyard across the street. The title of the film "Never Left the Building" refers to the building’s history of Elvis Presley and how his spirit along with those in the film have never really left."

The finished project will debut at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Robinson Film Center, 617 Texas St., in Shreveport. Admission is free. Cast and crew will be on hand to field questions.

Other cities where the duo made community films include Greensboro, N.C., Austin, Texas, Fargo, N.D., and Albuquerque, N.M.

For more information about the project, log on to www.filmblazer.com/T3.

PHOTO CREDIT: A scene from "Never Left the Building." (Mani K. Trump)