Landon Kestlinger ’19 reflects on screening his film at the Cannes Short Film Corner

As he prepares to film his cinema and television arts BFA thesis project, Landon Kestlinger ’19 has a greater understanding of the film industry than most undergraduates, thanks in large part to his two weeks spent at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.

​In May, Kestlinger screened his short film, “The Reach,” at the Cannes Short Film Corner, a showcase for rising filmmakers at the 2018 Cannes International Film Festival. The nine-minute film, an adaptation of the Stephen King story by the same name, was one of approximately 1,800 registered participants from nearly 100 countries in the showcase.

Watch a trailer for “The Reach” here.

Additionally, while at Cannes, the rising Elon senior participated in the American Pavilion Film and Business Program, where he completed an internship with XYZ Films, a Los Angeles-based film production and sales company.

“It was truly a great experience for me,” Kestlinger said. “Besides having a film in the Short Film Corner, I was working with a production company, helping with sales and distribution of films. I got to experience the business end of the industry—the market end—that a lot of people don’t know and don’t get to see.

“For students who want to go into the business side or go into producing or directing, which is where I want to go, it’s a great opportunity,” he added.

In total, Kestlinger spent 14 days in the south of France, first interning with XYZ Films then enjoying Cannes as a filmmaker.

​While entry in the Short Film Corner does not qualify as an official Cannes festival selection, it provides aspiring industry professionals such as Kestlinger a platform to present their films, meet current filmmakers and participate in a variety of workshops, roundtables and networking events. The festival bills the program as a “serious gateway to the world of feature films.”

The plot of “The Reach,” which Kestlinger filmed in fall 2017 while studying at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, highlights an elderly woman who hears the voice of her deceased husband who tries to convince her to travel to a new land.

“Symbolically, it is the afterlife,” Kestlinger said. “The story is about a woman trying to transition between life and death, and that it’s not something to be scared of or sad about.”

Kestlinger said he connected with the story after looking through roughly 25 Stephen King-written short stories available through the best-selling author’s Dollar Baby program, which grants permission to aspiring filmmakers to adapt his short stories for $1. “This is the one that stuck out to me the most,” he said.

With an entirely Scottish cast and crew, and support from the Glasgow University Student Television (GUST), Kestlinger shot “The Reach” with a Canon DSLR camera and a tight budget of $200. In all, filming took two days and approximately nine hours. He later edited the film over Winter Break after returning statewide.

“I wouldn’t say it is my best work, but I’m very happy with it,” Kestlinger said of the film. “I’m proud of myself because when I arrived I didn’t know anyone in Scotland, and yet I somehow managed to make a nine-minute short film. So, I am happy with it no matter what.”

​What feedback did his film receive while in Cannes? According to Kestlinger, viewers complimented how the story developed as well as the film’s strong audio. “Lighting was definitely the biggest criticism,” he added. With access to only two lights during filming, the producer expected that critique.

Besides Cannes festival attendees, Kestlinger also gained some publicity from online sites, conducting extensive Q&As with stephenkingshortmovies.com and wearemovingstories.com. In the former, he details a few of his production issues, including his leading actress never making it to set.

Overall, Kestlinger relished the opportunity to share his film with an international audience.

“I have learned so much more than I could have ever imagined,” he said. “It was great to meet other filmmakers from around the world, and to pick their brains a little bit – which will help with my BFA project. I got to hear what people are really talking about. What people are making movies about. And it opens your eyes to what the industry is looking for.”

Nearly two months after his Cannes experience Kestlinger has turned his attention to his summer internship, returning to work for XYZ Films in Los Angeles. (It is technically his third internship with the production company having interned there last summer as well.)    

​While he’s currently on the West Coast, Kestlinger’s thoughts remain on the work he’ll need to complete this fall at Elon. He tentatively plans to film his BFA project in October and complete his final cut by early 2019, but much planning remains until then.

Earlier this summer Kestlinger completed his script, a story loosely based on his own experiences with bullying as an adolescent. It is a stark look at how children can be harassed, and that harassment isn’t limited to school grounds.

Kestlinger credited Elon’s Brooke Buffington for assisting with the script’s completion. The associate director in the Student Professional Development Center knows a thing or two about scripts having wrote the Netflix original movie ​”Chalk It Up.”

The senior has now turned his attention to finding filming locations and working with his casting director to start a call for actors.

​“We want to start shooting in October and get it done over fall break,” Kestlinger said. “I know a lot of students don’t want to stay over fall break, but I’m going to try and convince them that this is a great opportunity. Don’t miss it!”