Regent student's short film to be screened

The topic is timely.

But Joseph Rohrs didn't realize that while he was directing his short film, "Canned," in February 2008.

The funny five-minute film about a man getting laid off his job eerily mirrors today's economic reality.

"Sadly, it was prophetic," said Rohrs, 33, who found the script for "Canned" online at SimplyScripts.com. "The economy hadn't really tanked yet when we produced it."

"Canned" is one of about 30 films that will be screened at the upcoming ONFilm Festival, held Wednesday through Saturday at Old Dominion University and various Norfolk venues. It will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at ODU's University Theatre, 4427 Hampton Blvd.

Written by Troels "T.J." Hundtofte of the Netherlands, "Canned" has brought national acclaim to its production team at a number of independent film festivals, most recently tying for first place at the Virginia Independent Film Festival in the "shorts" category.

The plot sets a recently laid-off man in his car, parked near a lake. He imagines how he will tell his wife about losing his job - concocting elaborate, unbelievable tales illustrated with animation and featuring exploding copiers, terrorists and sexy FBI agents. It ends with a humorous reality-check.

For Rohrs, every aspect of the low-budget $100 production was a critical element - from the setting, to the lighting, to the type of car the main character drives.

"The car was probably the most challenging prop to find," Rohrs said. "I wanted something with a squared-off look to define the character."

After weeks of scouring parking lots, Rohrs found the perfect vehicle - a beige Acura with a dead battery owned by a fellow Regent student.

"We had to jump start it every time we needed to move it," Rohrs said.

Rohrs often uses friends and family as actors in his productions, including daughter, Gwynne, 8, who has a small but important role in "Canned."

"She loved it," Rohrs said. "Now she wants to do more."

His wife and screen writing partner, Dory, and his son, Cyrus, 6, have had roles in previous works.

Rohrs has directed seven films, two of which are currently in production. He was recently selected to direct "Humble Pie," a 25-minute film about 16th-century monks, which is one of Regent University's three endowed summer films of 2009. It has a $10,000 budget, Rohrs' largest to date.

He will graduate from Regent in May with a master's degree in cinema television with an emphasis in directing.

In August, Rohrs and his family plan to move to Los Angeles where he hopes to make a career creating family feature films "that will inspire discussion, not explanation," he said.

Meanwhile, the timely "Canned" will be one of nine "short shorts" - films under 10 minutes in length - eligible to win up to $1,500 in cash and $5,000 in prizes at the ONFilm Festival.

The fact it's being screened attests to its excellence, said Lane Dare, festival director. "We had many more submissions in that category than the others."

Rohrs, who admires filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer, is hoping for another win.

"Every director hopes that their film places," he said.

This year will mark ONFilm Festival's 11th year in Norfolk, but only the first time that it will competitively screen independent films - more than 30 new features, documentaries and shorts from around the world.

In past years it has been a retrospective festival, screening previously released works.

There were more than 173 film festivals in the United States in 2008 according to FilmCampus.net, an internet filmmaking resource, and the number is growing.

"Independent film festivals are becoming more and more prevalent," Rohrs said. "Computer technology has inspired more people to try the art since they can produce, create and edit their work at home."

He said film festivals provide networking opportunities for those in the craft, exposure of their work and a boon to local tourism.

Watch "Canned" and other films by Joseph Rohrs on vimeo.com. For information about ONFilm Festival events, visit www.onfilmfest.com.

Lia Russell, 222-5829, lia.russell@pilotonline.com