AT AMC WARD PARKWAY 14 IN KANSAS CITY
Most adults return to their childhood homes with snippets stored in their memories. But when Scott Roberts journeys to Kansas City from his home in New York City this coming weekend he’ll bring memories he recorded in a feature film that has earned a spot at Kansas City’s premiere independent film festival.
“Letters Home” will be shown at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at AMC’s Ward Parkway 14 theatres, located at 8600 Ward Pkwy, Suite 14, Kansas City, Mo. 64114.
In the 76-minute film, the writer/director shares the story of a nerdy boy who moves to Platte City and worries about “fitting in.” The comedy/drama Roberts created more than 25 years ago, shot in Platte City featuring actors from the area, will be screened alongside films and shorts from throughout the world as part of Kansas City Filmfest International.
Roberts, a professional actor and filmmaker, said the film festival has “enough of a reputation that they get all the best films and can choose what they want.”
The 1989 Platte County High School graduate has called New York home for the past few years, said is thrilled his creation has qualified to be shown at the “single festival that dominates the (Kansas City) area.”
Creators, such as Roberts, compete with dozens of films for slots at these festivals The showing will take place in a historic classic movie house and will follow two earlier screenings at the Wichita Film Festival last fall and a festival March 24 in Leavenworth, Kan. He said more than 50 people attended the latest showing. Roberts said he was thrilled with the “beyond exceptional” attendance which he considers “blockbuster.”
Roberts created his work on 40 rolls of 16 mm film using $25,000 he contributed, along with money borrowed from childhood friends and family.
Roberts, who was born in Independence and raised in Platte City, co-produced the film with his brother, Paul Roberts. Following his high school graduation, Scott Roberts earned a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the University of California Los Angeles. The footage sat in a climate-controlled Hollywood storage facility for decades until he decided it was time for his work to be completed and seen by audiences.
The latest showing will feature a newly improved film following advice Roberts said he received from other filmmakers who saw “Letters Home” in Wichita. His film is “the same movie but even better.”
Film festivals offer creators the chance to critique each other’s works and offer encouragement and advice, he said.
The festival’s website classifies “Letters Home” as a “narrative feature” and offers the following synopsis: “Things aren’t going well for 9 year-old Scott Singleton. Freshly arrived with his family in a sleepy Missouri town, Scott finds suspicious glances instead of the open arms he had hoped for. Making matters worse, his parents are blissfully oblivious to their son’s angst, his teacher runs her classroom like a drill sergeant, and gym class is a cruel exercise in survival of the fittest! His fate seems to be sealed. Yet as the years pass, friendships form and neighbors slowly warm to the newcomers in their midst. And much to his surprise, Scott realizes that his adopted hometown has become more a part of his identity than he ever dreamed possible.”
Changes include some editing and narration by Roberts, which offers “another layer of thought” as if he’s recounting memories from his past.
While Roberts is encouraged by his film’s success at local festivals, he’s not yet ready to speculate about his creation’s future. Instead, he encourages those who wish to see his work, and that of other independent filmmakers, not to wait to see it on streaming platforms.
“If you really want to support filmmakers,” go to these festivals, which is an opportunity to see “small movies that tell touching stories,” he said.
Hollywood rarely takes a chance on film festival-style movies, which usually are packed with touching, funny stories, said Roberts, with past projects including “The Raven and the Gypsy” and a music video, “Heaven.” In contrast, Hollywood- produced movies tend to be “safe bets,” such as re-creations of earlier movie successes.
Like all independent filmmakers, Roberts said he supports his creative ventures by working a day job (his is informational technology.) He said the idea that creatives make “money doing their art is a myth.”
Tickets are $10 and are available at kcfilmfest.org and will include the “full movie experience” with a chance to purchase drinks and snacks. In addition, Roberts will take questions from the audience during a session immediately following the film’s showing.