Two local indie films — “That’s E,” which was shot in Worcester, and “What Weighs Us Down,” filmed in Boston and surrounding neighborhoods — will premiere at the Elm Draught House Cinema in Millbury on June 3 at 3 p.m.
“That’s E,” written by and starring Adam Masnyk and directed by Eric Kelly, is a feature-length fictional film set in a real place: the That’s Entertainment comic book shop in Worcester. It’s about a college student (Vasilios Asimakos) who returns home for the summer and resumes his old job at the local comic book store while trying to sort out his future. Set entirely in Worcester, it costars Ana Marie Calise, Matthew Berke, and Mike Brais. “That’s E” played the 2016 Boston Comic Con and the 2016 London Comic Con in Ontario, Canada.
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“That’s E” will screen with “What Weighs Us Down,” a new, 24-minute film written and directed by Bobby Thompson that stars Masnyk as a young man wrestling with heroin addiction and the impact it has on his extended family. Besides Masnyk, a Worcester native who now lives in Dorchester, the film stars Acei Martin, Gloria Crist, and Russell Parascandolo. The film is a co-production between Masnyk’s Another Theory Productions and Thompson’s Newton-based Comfort Food Films.
Masnyk founded Another Theory Productions in 2014 as a way to showcase the work of area actors and filmmakers. The company is now made up of Masnyk, Jon Perry, Matthew Berke, Peter Hoey, and Sierra Hoey. “We’re as indie as indie can be in this day and age. We are talking about an old-school style of independent filmmaking. We don’t use crowdfunding. The people that make up our team, myself included, work hard at regular day jobs, so we can fund our passion for making quality films,” says Masnyk, an event coordinator for Ken Casey, lead singer of the Boston band Dropkick Murphys. “It costs money to enter film festivals and we don’t have it. I maxed out my credit cards making ‘That’s E.’ ”
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Masnyk and other members of the cast and crew will attend the double-bill screening. Tickets are $10, with proceeds going to film festival submission fees for “What Weighs Us Down.”
For tickets and information, go to www.AnotherTheoryProductions.com.