UW-Fond du Lac professor has film production accepted into Wisconsin Film Festival and receives summer research grant; film screening set for March 27 at campus

Fond du Lac, Wis.—A short film produced by UW-Fond du Lac Communication and Theatre Arts Professor Frances Perkins has been accepted into the Wisconsin Film Festival. The public is invited to the campus for a free showing of the film “Brothers” at noon on Thursday, March 27 in the Prairie Theater, 400 University Drive.

Participating in an open discussion following the film screening will be the writer/director of the film, Frances’ husband Troy Perkins, who teaches film and television production at UW-Oshkosh and Justin Bricco, the lead actor in the film and member of the Madison-based band Blueheels.

The film will be competing in the Wisconsin’s Own category at the Wisconsin Film Festival, April 3-6 in Madison, and has been accepted into The Big Island Film Festival to be held in Hawaii this May.

“Brothers” is the second collaboration for this husband and wife team who met while attending New York University. Their first joint project was the film “Tractor for Sale” which was showcased at many national and regional festivals.

Frances is also the recipient of a 2008 UW Colleges Summer Research Grant. She will be working with students from both UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Oshkosh in a unique form of film education that is rarely undertaken in film programs according to Frances.

The project will entail developing a script, producing the film and finishing the film, including submission to national festivals and competitions. The students will participate in all three phases of production to create a short 5-7 minute film called “Test Day.” The story line will chronicle the panic of a non-traditional student who has arrived for his university math course only to find it is the day of his test according to Frances.

“The film will show the comedic side of a student stumbling unprepared onto his test day, floundering through the exam, only for it to be revealed that he is a non-traditional student with a family and a full-time job,” said Frances. “The audience will laugh at him, then feel sympathy and finally respect for his efforts to earn a degree in a non-traditional way.”

This summer research project is another collaboration with her husband, but with a unique twist. This time around, Frances will write/direct and Troy will produce.

“Writing and directing are the key creative positions in film making, areas that are very important for a media educator to fully appreciate,” said Frances. “This film project would creatively put me in the driver’s seat, allowing me to expand my abilities and hone my craft.”

More information on “Brothers” including a film trailer is available online at www.brothersshortfilm.com .

The Wisconsin Film Festival web site is www.wifilmfest.org . For more information on UW-Fond du Lac call (920) 929-3600.

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