Lakewood Looking More Like Hollywood At 2010 Cleveland Film Festival

In the midst of nearly three hundred films from across the globe, Lakewood talent shines brightly through two films, “Out of Place” and “Pinned.” The first was featured last fall by LO photographer and writer, Taylor Trimarchi and highlighted the film’s director, Scott Ditzenberger, a Lakewood resident. Ditzenberger’s fascination with Lake Erie’s surfing culture inspired his account of cold weather surfers- a little known pastime in which he is himself an avid participant.

The local footage prominently features the frigid and familiar shores of Lake Erie along Edgewater Park, capturing the strong bond of these less than conventional surfers between the Lake itself and each other. In his interview with Trimarchi, Ditzenberger emphasized his commitment and positive experience with keeping his filmmaking as local as possible by drawing attention to his collaboration with three Lakewood bands, The Dreadful Yawns, The All Golden, and The Celebrity Pilots, who provided the film’s entire soundtrack.

“Pinned” also draws from a close personal connection between the team of directors and the film’s subject matter. Directors Patrick and Mike Norman bring to life the familiar Lakewood rivalry between St. Edward’s and Lakewood High sports teams.  Mike, a 1986 LHS alumnus and brother Pat, St. Ed’s Class of 2003, took Pat’s time as a film student at Ohio University, as an opportunity to use this internal city feud as a vehicle to enlighten viewers about the world of high school wrestling.

Much like “Out of Place,” the brothers set out to capture the passion of a sub-culture of sorts, in this case, high school wrestling, and produce a documentary. The story line follows the 2005 wrestling season for Matt Curley (LHS) and Lance Palmer (St. Eds), two dedicated high school athletes, highlighting their personal struggles and powerful competitive drive to illustrate the determination of so many young men in the sport of wrestling. The lengths to which Curley and Palmer go for victory may seem unthinkable and extreme for anyone unfamiliar with the sport, but the film’s vivid depiction is simply reality for these adolescent athletes.

For Lakewoodites, emotions will certainly run high whether you are watching St. Ed’s take on LHS in a state championship wrestling match, or watching surfers in wet suits take on the icy waves of Lake Erie in winter. But no matter where your loyalties may lie, we in Lakewood can be proud to see our homegrown, local talent take to the big screen.

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Volume 6, Issue 6, Posted 8:17 AM, 03.24.2010