Feature-length film might be shot in Rochester

Rochester could be set to rebel in an interesting way.

Just ask Kent Johnson, executive producer of Rebel Filmworks, who was in town Nov. 3 to meet with community and business leaders about the possibility of shooting a feature-length independent film set in the city.

"So much of this is tied into Rochester, the hub, and whatever we as the filmmakers can do to tie it all together," Johnson said.

The film project, known as "The Rebels," is an original screenplay penned by Minnesota-native Johnson. It's a fictional account of a semi-pro basketball team and its ultimate redemption in the hands of a phenom ball player, who is asked to lead the team, known as the Rebels, to victory.

The project, Johnson said, is about halfway down the path to becoming a reality.

"Ultimately," he said, "at the end of this path it's going to be presentation to equity investors. The other part is going to be community involvement."

Concessions or discounts on the budget, which is estimated to be $1.5 million, means the film is more likely to get produced. Expenses such as location shooting, lodging for the cast and crew, and electricity use are the current targets.

"I'm approaching this film as a partnership of a lot of different Rochester elements," he said. "I think it's a great vehicle for, not only us to make the film, but a PR tool for Rochester because part of its vision is to grow its brand."

Specifically, he said, Rochester is striving to prove it offers more services than just Mayo and IBM.

"Why not have it as the backdrop of a movie?" he asked. "Who knows, maybe there are other films that say, 'Yeah, we could use a city of that size as a backdrop for other things.'"

At the moment, getting "The Rebels" made means drumming up local support, as well as financing.

Independent films can be made in many different ways, Johnson said, as he experienced when his film company produced a short film, entitled "H-E-N-R-Y," which was shot on location at Stillwater State Prison.

"It's up to your imagination," he said. "If you can come up with it, and connect the dots, so be it."

Johnson said he wrote the screenplay several years ago, and he chose Rochester because it fit the story so well.

"It really did," Johnson said. "The community had to be sizable enough for a semi-pro basketball team. And, the whole setting kind of fit the ambiance of the story. So, that's why Rochester. It just really seems like it clicks on a lot of different levels."

Casting would likely not be local, he pointed out, although he'd like to get "name" Minnesota actors in the cast, but a lot of the filming would be done in the city. If all goes well, it could begin production as early as summer 2018.

One of those Johnson met briefly with is District 25B Rep. Duane Sauke, who said he gave the filmmaker some ideas and names to help him tap into local networks. No financing or logistics have been confirmed at this point, only local interest.

"I don't think it's a wild flight," Sauke said.

Johnson's idea, he said, seems well-founded, as well as potentially fitting into Rochester's current vision for itself.

"For the city, this has clear benefits," Sauke said, "in raising up the diverse nature of Rochester."

Johnson, who works as an executive recruiter for Land O'Lakes, Inc., said his passion for filmmaking led him to pen "The Rebels," and the city itself led him to choose Rochester for its setting.

"It's time to make a film in Rochester," Johnson said. "It's time to make a film in Minnesota by using our resources. So, my question is, 'Why not?'"

It's only a matter of time until Rochester knows the answer to that one.

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Learn more

For more information on Johnson, "The Rebels," or Rebel Filmworks, visit www.facebook.com/TheRebelsMovie or www.rebelfilmworks.com .