“Poser,” a film Dixon wrote, co-directed and co-edited with Ori Segev, will have its world premiere on Thursday, June 10, and compete in the U.S. Narrative Competition program at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, which was co-founded by Hollywood legend Robert De Niro.
The pair don’t know what to expect, but are ready to take it all in with a mix of nerves and excitement.
“It’s still hard to believe. This is our film and we want people to watch and enjoy it,” Dixon said.
Dixon didn’t set out to make films. Growing up, he had fun shooting with his dad Scott’s VHS camera, but upon graduating from Springfield High School in 2010 chose to attend Denison University to study music.
He grew up in an arts environment in the Springfield community, acting and working at the Summer Arts Festival for six years. Dixon got a start behind the scenes operating a spotlight and later became grounds manager. He still tries to get back to a show each summer.
“The people and the festival are very special,” he said.
At Denison, Dixon’s interest in film took over, working on projects with Segev, who comes from the Boston area, becoming friends and saw making films as a shared vision. They moved to Columbus after graduation and formed a production company, Loose Films, taking jobs doing videos, short films and commercials, earning awards on the process.
Yet a feature film was their dream and “Poser” took shape.
Described by Dixon and Segev as a genre-bending, slow-burn thriller combining suspense, comedy and music, they pulled together what resources they could and shot in Columbus. They used connections and cast local actors, basing some of the characters on real Columbus-based bands and musicians.
“What is exciting is these are all first-time experiences for the actors and the crew. It’s driven by young talent,” said Dixon.
Segev said it was a chance for everybody to show what they can do and a great learning experience. He and Dixon laughed about what the hardest part of being first-time filmmakers was, saying there were so many moving parts.
It required getting a crowd into the music venues, calling in favors and basically doing a juggling act. But they got the support necessary.
Principle photography began in fall 2019 and lasted about 24 days total, with breaks in between. This was, fortunately, before the pandemic hit.
“It was scrappy. We were relying on excitement,” Dixon said. “We were incredibly lucky we got the photography done before so we edited during the pandemic.”
The pair then submitted a rough cut of “Poser” to various film festivals, many of which were scaled-back and done virtually due to the ongoing safety concerns. It earned Loose Films a year-long mentorship for independent filmmakers with Gotham Film Labs.
Next to everyone’s surprise, Tribeca was interested.
“We were excited just to hear back,” Segev said.
They are glad to have “Poser” on the second night of the 12-day festival, with the showing sold out, and then take the rest in.
The pair said they hope to take away the chance to do another feature. They are kicking around ideas and seeing where their Tribeca experience takes them.
“We just want to continue making films and telling stories,” Dixon said.
“Poser” can be viewed virtually for $15 from Tribeca’s streaming service. There are no other scheduled dates for the film to play yet, but Dixon and Segev are eager to share with others.
For information about Loose Films, see their website and Facebook page.
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