The idea for “Toboggan ‘Bout Town” started with a text of a movie idea that Rocky Walls received.
“My friend Geoff Davis, who I know from working together on various projects in our beloved community of Noblesville, told me the following story and invited us to join them for the ride,” said Walls, a Fishers resident who is the director of Noblesville-based 12 Stars Media. “Three years ago, Davis organized a community toboggan build at the Hamilton East Public Library, where he was artist-in-residence. A hundred people joined in, assisting six craftspeople, to create two traditional American toboggans.
“That day a dream was born — to design and build a toboggan and then represent his Indiana community, Noblesville, at the U.S. National Toboggan Championships in Camden, Maine.”
Walls said several community partners, including his team at 12 Stars Media, lent a hand to literally build the toboggan and send the team to the championship. Walls said they documented the whole process, even the team going down the hill in Camden.
The short film will be featured as part of the Indiana Spotlight I category in the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, which runs July 19-24. “Toboggan ‘Bout Town” will be shown at 2 p.m. July 23 at the Toby Theater Newfields in Indianapolis.
“Other than the fact that the whole process was a blast, why did we do it? To inspire others to have big, crazy ideas and to be willing to chase them down,” Walls said. “With all our work, we want viewers to walk away feeling inspired. With ‘Toboggan ‘Bout Town.’ if even one person says, ‘I’m going to go on that camping trip I’ve been talking about for years,’ or, ‘I’m signing up for that class’ or, ‘We’re going to do that DIY project we’ve been putting off,’ it’ll be worth it.”
Grant Michael, director of photography for 12 Stars Media, said the experience of documenting the story was enjoyable and inspiring.
“There’s such a sense of camaraderie and friendship among the guys who made up the team, and on top of that, their passion for bettering and strengthening their community is contagious,” Michael said.
To view the film, visit 12starsmedia.com/toboggan-bout-town.
Fishers-based Tilt23 Studios documentary, “The Supper Club,” is part of Indiana Spotlight 2 and will be shown at 3 p.m. July 24. It centers on Noblesville restaurant 9th Street Bistro’s adjustment when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
“Kyle Fisher, our director of photography, and his wife, Kari, introduced us to 9th Street during the pandemic,” said Fortville resident David Niedert, the lead filmmaker at Tilt23 Studios. “At the time, 9th Street was only offering the Sunday Supper Club. My wife and I began ordering food and were blown away at how good it was, in spite of the fact that they were meals you finished cooking at home. We learned about their plans for opening right around the time that the pandemic hit, and their subsequent pivot and adaptation, and thought that it was a really compelling story. So, we reached out and began discussing making a short doc about it.
“The story became about much more than just a restaurant impacted by the pandemic and evolved to really dive into local food, farming and community.”
For more, visit indyshorts.org.
