Midwest Movie Maker

The last girl? >>> Cleveland filmmaker Roger Conners ’ story is familiar to most Midwest scary movie fans. Inspired at a young age by iconic Midwest horror masters like George Romero and Sam Raimi, Conners couldn’t wait to make movies of his own. “Romero made a name for himself from the bottom up,” Conners says, underscoring Romero’s iconic contribution to the modern-day zombie genre. “I would love to have that kind of impact and influence at some point, but right now, I’ll settle for just getting my films completed and out there to the public.” Conners’ latest project is MEAT: The Movie , a horror slasher with a bit of a twist. “ MEAT follows the classic, tried and true, old-school slasher formula while incorporating a cast of unique and diverse individuals who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community,” Conners explains. “If you like horror movies, chances are you’re going to find a lot to love here. And if you love and support the queer community as a whole, you’ll probably...

FunMill Films inaugural event kicks off Feb. 16 Not too long ago, filmmaker Kinsley Funari reached out to get my perspective on an idea she and her collaborator, Josh Miller, had. Could they launch a new filmfest in Cleveland and tie a film competition to it? She wondered if I had any experience in that arena and, either way, did I think the effort was worth the work it would take to get such an endeavor off the ground. I had neither the experience and, truth told, I thought the work it might take - from finding a venue and vendors to unknotting the legalities of the competition - was probably just too frustrating. I didn’t tell her that, of course. Because what do I know? So I wished Kinsley and Josh luck and figured I probably wouldn’t hear about the filmfest anytime soon. Instead, we’re only a handful of days away from the inaugural FunMill Films Fest & Competition . The show opens Sunday, February 16, at 2 p.m. at Atlas Cinemas Lakeshore 7, Euclid, Ohio, and runs...