If you have ever struggled with believing you can achieve your dreams, there’s a comedy for that. Director Marshall Cook’s latest film, Film Fest, is an indie comedy that follows Logan Clark (played by Matt Cook), a seemingly jaded director waiting for his big break.
At the insistence of his producer and friend Alexandria Davis (played by Diona Reasonover), Logan agrees to attend an unheard-of film festival to promote his film “Unknown Unknowns.”
Life lessons ensue.
Audiences start to see a shift in Logan’s character after he storms out of a masterclass. When Logan leaves the meeting, he bumps into the creative director of the event, Kim Lincoln (played by Allison Dunbar). Through her, Logan starts to see that he should grasp all opportunities.
For Reasonover, this is one of the major lessons of the film. “None of us know anything, and that’s what this film is about,” she said. “It’s about people not knowing, that are just hoping. Hope is such a universal thing that so many of us are grasping onto, especially right now.”
Throughout the event, Logan meets several people that preach this same message. Among them is a teen director, Max (played by Jason Genao), who tells Logan it’s all about hunting “your own food.”
Marshall Cook has applied this sentiment in his own career. “There is no such thing as making it. I’m constantly trying to be curious, grow and be better than what I was yesterday,” he said.
One of the most touching moments in the film is when Logan witnesses an audience reaction to Unknown Unknowns. He smiles, and his eyes water as the audience laughs.
Logan’s experience was reminiscent of the first time Film Fest was played for an audience.
For Matt Cook, the Film Fest screening was especially memorable because it was the largest screen he had ever seen himself on. “That experience was very special. I had family come, just to be able to watch them watch it and talk after was really special,” he said.
Through Logan’s ups and downs, audiences witness the hardships of someone working towards a finish line that is further rather than closer. He snaps at people closest to him, takes blows to his ego, but ultimately continues to pursue his directorial dreams.
Marshall Cook sees Logan’s progression as a universal journey people have to endure in order to succeed, but Cook also warns against letting one’s ambitions completely consume them.
“Focus on investing in your relationships, with your friends, partners, and whoever else,” he said. “Say you accomplish your thing, and you’re at the mountain top, you look around, and you’re alone. One of the great things about accomplishing anything is sharing it with people you love.”
Film Fest will be available for audiences to stream on Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Tubi; As well as TVOD platforms such as iTunes, Fandango Now, Google Play, and YouTube, beginning July 23.
