‘Secret Show’ wins big at Maryville Film Festival

"The Secret Show" - Photo courtesy of http://theknoxvillejournal.tumblr.com

The second annual Maryville Film Festival (formerly the Downtown Film Festival) was held Nov. 5 at the Clayton Center for the Arts. The festival featured over 77 films, one of which being “The Secret Show,” a production by Sean Sexton and Jamison Stalsworth.

Libby Rodriquez, a senior at MC, was involved with this film, the production of which began in early August.

“I got involved with it because my two best friends are the producer and director of it, and they needed help,” Rodruiguez said.

“The Secret Show” follows Bogart, a young boy who has just run away from home. Along his journey, he runs into a stranger with a “secret show” of freaks. It is made clear that the stranger wants to add Bogart to his collection. Just as Bogart thinks he has escaped, the stranger reappears to capture him. Bogart is added to the stranger’s collection of freaks as “the smiling boy.”

This film’s thematic intentions were a definite success. The underlying theme intertwined with the plot throughout the film.
Rodriguez served as a production assistant for the film, a position which is more demanding than one might think.

“I helped the actors with their lines,” Rodriguez said of her duties as production assistant. “I helped with the set. Basically any little thing that needed to be done.”

Not only did she serve as a production assistant, but Rodriguez also acted in the film. She played the role of the woman who at the end magically turns into the stranger.

Out of all the experiences Rodriguez endured on set, her favorite moment was seeing the tent set up. In the film, the tent served as the keeping place for the stranger’s collection of freaks.

“None of us knew what it was going to look like or how we were going to get it set up. But I just MacGyvered it, and things fell into place beautifully,” Rodriguez said. “It was an absolutely magical moment.”

“The Secret Show” has already received several awards from local film festivals in Knoxville and Maryville. It was awarded “Best Regional Film” at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival.

At the Maryville Film Festival, “The Secret Show” was given the awards for best film score, best costume design and best makeup. Additionally, Cameron Kendrick, the actor who portrayed Bogart, was given the award for best young actor.

If you would like to check out “The Secret Show,” go to YouTube.com and type “The Secret Show, Sean Sexton” into the search bar. It should be the first video in the search results. Click and enjoy!

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