A restoration campaign begun in Princeton is now at the essence of a feature film in the works by a Los Angeles production company.
Meriwether Productions, in association with the Marvo Entertainment Group of Princeton, are collaborating on “Remembering Rachel,” a film project set to shoot throughout Kentucky.
The fictional film tells the story of a fish out of water, a big-city dweller who returns to the small Kentucky town where he met his wife, this time to lay her to rest.
“He’s toiling in his own misery,” screenwriter Mike Muldoon said Wednesday.
As he lingers in the town, the man begins a quest to honor his wife’s memory by restoring that community, with the help of its citizenry, to its glory days.
“It’s a character study. It’s about this one man’s journey to save himself, and this town,” said Muldoon.
The revitalization at the heart of the film mimics the “Let’s Paint the Town!” campaign launched in downtown Princeton in 2006.
“We are so excited,” said Princeton Main Street Manager and Marvo Executive Producer Sam Koltinsky, who spearheaded the “Let’s Paint” drive.
“It takes us into another direction … the feature film will drive people back to the project, and its story, along with a documentary that we’re working on as we move across America with ‘Let’s Paint the Town.’”
Muldoon and research assistant Ken Solomon were in Princeton this week to get a better feel for small-town life.
They toured the downtown area, speaking with local merchants and political leaders to learn about the community and its history.
Locations for shooting the film have not yet been determined.
“Naturally, we all want it to shoot locally,” Koltinsky said. Funding arrangements will dictate the final locations for filming, he noted.
Downtown Main Street is being used on a promotional poster, created for the film by Drew Hudgins, Marvo’s head of production.
And in terms of the script, Princeton is being used as a model.
“Visually, in my mind, I’m writing using a Princeton landscape,” said Muldoon. “It works out perfect for this town.”
The partnership between Marvo and Meriwether came after a chance encounter between Koltinsky and Brian Ide, producer/director for Meriwether, the company he founded in 2004.
Ide was in Princeton for the 20th high school reunion of his wife, the former Karen Woodward (the daughter of former CCHS principal and district administrator Dr. Roy Woodward).
The producers struck up a conversation downtown, while Ide was walking and Koltinsky was working on a building, in the middle of the “Let’s Paint” campaign.
The ongoing dialogue led to the inclusion of Muldoon, who had been in Kentucky working on another Meriwether project.
“Between Sam, myself and Brian, we were able to come up with sort of a fictional narrative off the ‘Let’s Paint the Town’ project,” Muldoon said. “The essence of the project is what we get in the script.”
Though the film may be categorized as a drama, it will also feature its share of comedic elements, with plenty of room for the colorful characters that frequent small towns across the country.
The film, Koltinsky said, is “a feel-good project. It shows America what we can do as a community working together.
“America needs a good feel-good story, and that’s why we’re pushing this.”
The project will also allow some young people a chance to break into the film business.
The production companies will be creating some internship opportunities for high school and college students across the state.
The film will also be one of the first movies shot in Kentucky to utilize the state’s recently-passed 20 percent film production tax incentive.
The incentives, said Ide, can be used to gap fund-raising efforts, to repay investors and/or to help marketing efforts for the film.
Producers are seeking investors and individuals/organizations to provide in-kind services and supplies from the communities selected as filming locations.
Once the film is completed, it will be submitted for consideration to some of the world’s premier film festivals, including Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and Berlin, as well as area and state festivals.
Koltinsky said Meriwether and Marvo would also secure distribution in the U.S. and abroad, including possible release on television networks like ABC Family or Lifetime.
Shooting is scheduled to begin late this fall.
“It’s a privilege, and it is exciting,” said Koltinsky. “It well help out not only our community, but the region and the state to help show what we’re about.”
