Local filmmakers begin work on feature film

Matthew Levandoski loves the author Ernest Hemingway. Levandoski’s great-grandfather’s name was Ernest Evans. When Levandoski and his wife discovered they were expecting a baby boy, “Ernest” seemed like the perfect name to mix Levandoski’s pop culture love and his and his wife’s family values.

“I live for pop culture,” he said.

With this love for pop culture, Levandoski and IU students Clayton Jackson and Evan Wan founded Fool’s Paradise Pictures in March 2011. Fool’s Paradise is a film production company dedicated to true independent films.
It just had casting auditions last week for its first full-length feature film, “Petunia.”

Jackson will act as co-director alongside Levandoski, and Wan is the film’s producer. However, they all help compensate when needed.

“We have a beautiful mix of talents,” Levandoski said. “In my opinion, we complement each other well.”

Levandoski began writing “Petunia” seven years ago when he studied at Victoria Motion Picture School in Vancouver. After throwing the script in a drawer for five years, he pulled it out when he, Jackson and Wan first decided to start Fool’s Paradise.

“I’ve directed other scripts of my own, but this will be my biggest project yet,” he said.

“Petunia” is a love story that follows an Amish woman named Petunia who’s controlled by an overbearing real estate criminal, according to a press release. Her Christian naivety keeps her in his lock until she falls in love with Jack. Jack and Petunia plan their escape in this film noir independent feature.

Film noir is a film genre made popular in the 1940s and 1950s after World War II, according to www.filmsite.org. French film critics named it after the depressing and pessimistic series of American detective films released after the war.

“I fell in love with film noir while I was in school,” Levandoski said. “I wanted to try my hand at writing something similar.”

Canadian-born, Levandoski did not move to Bloomington until he met his Hoosier wife. With his son Ernest due in August, Fool’s Paradise will be shooting the film June 15 to August 15 in Bloomington.

After filming, editing will take place in Levandoski’s home.

“I’m hoping to do some double duty as a new dad and film director,” he said.

Levandoski said he knew balancing a family and the production would be a challenge. The internationally published fine arts photographer has worked in short films for years.
“My wife and I both understand,” he said. “It was kind of a ‘now’ or ‘long-time-from-now’ kind of thing.”