With any luck, actor Joe Gentile will begin filming Neon Dream here in town before the year is over. He just launched a Kickstarter campaign today.
Gentile describes the movie, which he’ll direct and star in, as “a semi-autobiographical drama regarding my life growing up.” “It revolves around this kid named Kyle who’s your all-American straight-edge good guy,” he says. “This girl comes into town and he gets thrust into a world of sex, lust and violence.”
The film is set in Northern Maine, but Gentile plans to shoot in Northeast Ohio.
“Being from Cleveland, coming home to shoot this is practically full circle to me, getting to involve the people I know, and the places I love is beyond amazing,” he says.
Gentile has cast Academy Award nominee Leslie Browne, who’s returning to acting for the first time since 1987's Dancers, Independent Spirit/SAG Nominee Misty Upham, Tuesday Knight and Alex Hafner, all of whom have been in major motion pictures. And he's not done casting the film either.
“There are two other roles that are in the middle of being negotiated on right now,” he says. “There’s another Oscar nominee and a very famous singer — unfortunately names cannot be brought up right now unless a confidentiality clause is signed.”
