Table at Luigi’s, a feature film by the University of Central Arkansas’s Digital Filmmaking program was recently honored as the “Best in Show” at the Indie Fest in La Jolla, Calif. The “Indie” award goes to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries.
Table at Luigi’s is a modern-day fairy tale about David, “Chef” to his friends, who creates “living dreams” for people through his cooking. That all changes for Chef the night Emily walks in and he begins to realize that the dreams he’s been creating have locked him in his own dream world.
The film was written and directed by Joe Dull, assistant professor of digital filmmaking, and was shot in July 2009. The film has been in the works for more than a decade.
The film premiered in April during a special screening at Reynolds Performance Hall. Besides the UCA premiere, Luigi’s also showed in the Little Rock Film Festival and had other screenings in Vermont and New York.
Dull said that he was surprised to win the “Indie” award.
“We made Luigi’s to give our students the opportunity to work on something like this, and winning the Indie is a great feather in our cap,” he said. “It also built up the resumes of many students now entering the workforce. We’re really excited and proud.”
The film also utilized the talents of UCA faculty members Mike Gunter, director of photography; Scott and Shauna Meador, set and costume designers; Paul Dickinson, composer; and cast members Chris Fritzges and Bob May with UCA students making up the rest of the crew.
“Our goal, beyond telling the story, of course, was to give our students the opportunity to work on a feature-length film,” Dull said. “Our film program includes plenty of opportunities for students to work on short films with other students, but a feature film shooting for 26 days is an entirely different experience. Most student films shoot for a single weekend or two, and students only get a chance to wet their feet and barely get comfortable in their positions before the shoot is finished. With Luigi’s, our students had to truly learn their craft. And they were able to work side-by-side with their professors while doing so.”
The film was shot in Conway.
“We were wonderfully fortunate that the university and city of Conway embraced what we were trying to do,” Dull said. “All of our meals for cast and crew were donated by local restaurants, and many others generously donated locations and supplies. They even blocked off and wet down their streets.
“I spent 15 years in southern California, the mecca for filmmakers, and had to move to Conway, Ark., to make a feature film. Who knew?”
The film was also presented at the Southern Appalachian International Film Festival (SOAPIFF) in Kingsport, Tenn., on Oct. 29. All entries at the SOAPIFF are added to the Archives of Applachia at East Tennessee State University to be preserved indefinitely for research.
“The students were really the beneficiaries of this film,” Dull said. “Just watching what’s happened in our program since shooting the film . . . their films are so much more organized and thought out. They really came together as a team for Luigi’s and applied what they learned with us into their own work. It’s been wonderful and amazing to watch.”
