Next month, two artists with local ties will showcase films they have been a part of creating for the last four years.
Film producers Sam Patzer and Jorge Harrington on Friday, July 19, at 7 p.m., will premier “Everywhere But Here,” a collection of films the two Ontario natives have collaborated on since 2020. The show will be at Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario.
Patzer, a Treasure Valley Community College graduate, said the program title comes from the fact that they’re both from Ontario and still live in town but have shown their movies everywhere else but their hometown.
Harrington, an actor, director and screenwriter, said the showcase includes six movies they have had a significant hand in making, either playing lead parts, directing or editing. Most often, Patzer said, their movies are shipped off to film festivals around the world. Or, he said, they put them online behind a paywall.
Patzer, who has written, directed and edited over 14 films in his career, said the showcase will include a psychological thriller about an alien invasion and a post-apocalyptic short film about a government collapse, among others. The six movies they plan to show include “First Days,” “Orphan Dog,” “Sky Priestess,” “Straw Girl,” “Windows to the Soul” and “Donuts.”
From Idaho to India, Patzer and Harrington’s films have been widely viewed worldwide. According to Patzer, the pair have a contract with Four Rivers Cultural Center to showcase a sequel next year.
Harrington said they are serious filmmakers who continue to hone their craft. He said that often when people hear that they’re working on a short film, they think it must be a “student film” that won’t have the quality of a professionally made film. But, while they remain humble, they have a standard that they bring to their craft, Harrington said.
“We have a very strict benchmark of quality and standards that constantly updates,” Patzer said.
While Harrington and Patzer have screened their movies at the Cannes Film Festival in France and met with producers in Hollywood, it is more meaningful for them to have the opportunity to show their films in their hometown, Patzer said.
Patzer said the arts have always been in Ontario but are not seen, heard or respected. However, that’s beginning to change.
He began making music videos in 2019. At the time, he said, there was a thriving music scene in Ontario but nothing in the way of film.
To be showing in Ontario is significant, Patzer said.
“It kind of feels like we’ve left our mark on our hometown,” Patzer said.
For more information on purchasing tickets, call 541-889-8191.
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