Palace / U.S.A. / Louisiana Premiere

Chris, a hardened auto-mechanic, avoids conflict with his girlfriend Kelly by wasting his weeknights at the local bar (in spite of his AA meetings), where Chuck plays the village sage. Chuck lives a prematurely retired life in a little room above a bar in rural Indiana. Hospital bills loom, as does his need to borrow money from his estranged daughter Emily living in Indianapolis. Every night he goes downstairs to drink amid oldies and newbies alike, such as Alexa, a college student. Alexa and her two friends want to get their music noticed, but struggle to find an audience for rap at their college. This cross-generational portrait of life in the cornfields examines familial dissociation, culture-clash, and the pursuit of music, back-dropped by the crackling soil of early spring-time Indiana.

Cast: Todd Bruno, Joe Martyn Ricke, Emily Sweet, Benjamin Bethel.

Adult drama.

Director's Biography:

Andrew has created twenty short films since 2011 and holds a BA in Film & Media Production with minors in Theatre Arts & Creative Writing (Taylor University '18). He is a full-time filmmaker, splitting time between the narrative ventures of One County Film Company and his video production business, Stone Circle Media.

Director's Statement:

"Palace" is a result of my time attending a Christian college in rural Indiana. I observed how culturally distinct the small town residents were from the (typically more privileged) college students. In its most general sense, "Palace" treads the well-covered thematic terrain of "every stranger has a story." Its interlocking ensemble points to the sacredness of the every day and every person. It allows its main characters to narratively indulge, but shifts the paradigm of subjectivity without warning. It is at times abrasive and ugly. I hope it's sometimes humorous too.