Rantz Hoseley returns to Moscow on Friday, April 28, for the KINO Short Film Festival to watch the movie he shot here two years ago on the big screen for the first time.
Hoseley, who grew up in Clarkston and now lives in Burbank, Calif., said “Die,” which clocks in at 7 minutes and 30 seconds, was designed to be viewed in a theater.
“It’s kind of a perfect moment, I think,” he said, of having that experience in Moscow.
The film, which explores life in a rural community circa 1976, doesn’t fit the current festival mold, he said, which at times has made it a hard sell.
“Telling stories of rural America is not in vogue right now,” he said.
But seeing it among the 14 entries to be screened Friday at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre is a sweet prospect for Hoseley.
“It seems kind of appropriate that it’s appearing at the KINO festival in Moscow, considering that we shot a good two-thirds of the film in Moscow,” he said, noting the rest was shot in Lewiston.
Hoseley stands by his choice to pursue the film, even if small-town life isn’t a trendy topic.
“I think there are vital, interesting stories to be told,” he said. “(It was) important to write that story — and shoot it there.”
Shooting on location, he said, was essential to what he wanted to achieve.
“There’s something about the way light is in the Inland Northwest,” he said, “something about the terrain and the surroundings.”
A full list of KINO films is at kinofilmfest.org.
