Cole Moyer will serve up a big-screen ode to Iola Friday evening at the Allen Community College Theatre.
The Iola native has spent the past several months putting together “Just Talk,” a film he wrote, directed, produced, and in which he portrays one of the lead characters.
He will unveil the film at 7:30 p.m., free of charge. Complimentary drinks and snacks will be provided as well.
For those unable to make it to Friday’s premiere, Moyer will show it twice at Sterling Six Cinemas, Sept. 20 and 21.
The film is the second such project Moyer has brought to the community while at Allen. Moyer released “Kent, Addicks” at an Arts At Allen showcase in February.
That film was just in the process of being shown to the public when Moyer shifted his sights onto his next project.
“I started writing the script in March,” he said.
Within weeks, he had a first draft, given to ACC instructors Tricia Stogsdill and John Leahy — the first of six drafts he wrote before he was ready to start filming in July.
“JUST TALK” follows the story of two long-time friends — portrayed by Moyer and fellow ACC thespian Gabriel J.A. Wolf — who hadn’t seen each other in more than a year.
“And throughout the story, you learn that both are keeping secrets from each other, and are saying — or not saying — things they needed to say in the year they’ve been apart,” Moyer said.
The story was borne out of prospective plays he had drafted through the years.
“I had a couple of ideas that were similar, and they merged together,” he said.
The film isn’t necessarily based on a true story, but on “real thoughts,” Moyer explained.
“It’s based on things that either people have said to me, or I’ve said to myself,” he said. “It’s a personal project, probably the most personal project I’ve ever done.”
The “real thoughts” stem from Moyer’s own experiences, first in high school, “where I entered, and felt like I was on top of the world,” he said.
But his outward confidence in the classroom masked a growing sense of insecurity that grew steadily throughout high school.
