Indie filmmakers screen “Cinema Purgatorio” April 24

1992 Furman theater graduate and filmmaker Chris White and his spouse Emily Reach White will present a preview of their film, “Cinema Purgatorio,” Thursday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in Furman Hall 229 on campus.

Sponsored by Furman’s Film Studies Minor, the screening is free and open to the public, and is part of Furman’s Cultural Life Program.

Described by the filmmakers as a “work-in-progress,” “Cinema Purgatorio” is a semi-autobiographical “showbiz comedy” about a group of no-name filmmakers who try to win a regional film festival and attract the attention of actor Bill Murray. The film mirrors the White’s own struggles to create viable and vital independent cinema art while surviving financially. The film was shot for $40,000 last summer in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston.

Chris and Emily White will share information about the process of making and finishing the film, which is scheduled to premiere June 1. Their goal is to bring students into the final phases of production by vetting student opinion about what does and doesn’t work, and what should be changed before the final cut is complete.

Chris White is a full-time, practicing filmmaker based in the Upstate. Working in collaboration with his wife Emily Reach White, Chris has produced four feature-length films in the past four years, as well as dozens of shorts. The Whites have recently signed with a producer for their next film “To Hell With.” They are co-founders of PARIS MTN SCOUT, a production company based in Greenville.

For more information about the event, contact Dr. Vince Hausmann in the English Department, 864-294-3158, or vincent.hausmann@furman.edu. For information about the film, go to www.LookingForBillMurray.com.