Photo © Take 7 Productions
Once A Mormon
The Milwaukee Film Festival is back and in full swing, featuring hundreds of films by people of all different ages, ethnicities, and stories. With full length and short films, the festival takes place over two weeks at four different theaters: the Avalon, Downer and Oriental theaters, plus Times Cinema. Each theater will host a variety of screenings over the next two weeks. The Oriental Theater, for example, will be home to screenings of “ONCE A MORMON.”
ONCE A MORMON is a 12-minute short film written and directed by Ryan Allsop. It tells the story of two Mormon missionaries who try to convert a recently widowed redneck. However, it soon becomes unclear who is really converting who.
According to Allsop, the story was developed and written as a TV series. But, in an effort to sell the concept as a series, Allsop filmed a short “proof-of-concept” which is now a part of the festival as a short film. “This short film functions as a short film in itself, but it also helps tease at the storylines and characters that are in the full series that I created and hope to film soon,” he said.
Allsop describes ONCE A MORMON as a heartfelt coming-of-age comedy. He said at its core, the short film (and eventual show) is satire. But it also shows difficult conversations, uncomfortable confrontations, and unexpected laughs.
“At the end of the day, to keep it simple, this is a coming-of-age tale. It’s a story of obligations, of feeling trapped, of finding happiness, of unlikely friendships, and the absurdity that occurs along the way,” Allsop said. “It’s about trying to find yourself, even when you’ve been told your entire life who you are, who you should be, and who you will be.”
ONCE A MORMON will air on 414 Day, April 14, at the Oriental Theater at 7 p.m. as part of the Milwaukee show. Seven other Milwaukee films will also be a part of the Milwaukee show on 414 Day.
Learn more about ONCE A MORMON and the Milwaukee Film Festival here. Plus, you can learn more about Allsop and his effort to develop the ONCE A MORMON series here.
