Kirkwood has starring role in new film

KSDK -- The cast and crew shot there for weeks, and they had a whole local town talking. Now, the finished product is showing this weekend as part of the St. Louis film festival and one local town takes top billing.

When Joe Leonard wrote the script for "How I Got Lost," he knew Kirkwood would have a starring role.

"This is Spencer's Grill, which I remember even as a small kid. And I had to write it into my movie," he said. "How classic is this? You don't even see diners like this. They did a great job restoring it. This is where we shot the scene with Rose Marie Dewitt."

The film centers around two friends in New York after 9-11. They set out to find the things they've lost. Personal experiences, and life itself, shaped the script.

"I think it's a story that's sort of about figuring out where you're going. The theme of the film is that sometimes you have to get lost to figure out where you're headed," said Leonard. "I was struggling to get this made. But I had this script which I had written to shoot here in Kirkwood."

"I thought, God it would be so cool some day if I could bring back a film crew and actually try to shoot it."

The film was greenlit. They shot for two weeks in Kirkwood with all local extras crew members stayed with Joe's friends and family.

"It was really exciting to sort of bring the circus to town, share Kirkwood with other people, and share this movie experience with Kirkwood."

Even the best scripts can't always do a setting justice.

"It doesn't always register in LA, like St. Louis is somewhere between the coasts, like there's a Mississippi River there. But it's fun to show people the movie, because they're like wow, this is a really interesting place."

The movie's won awards at festivals across the country...It's up for more this weekend.  It's a local filmmakers dream come true.

"Being able to show it to the people who helped us out is super satisfying," explained Leonard. 

"For me, when I watch the Kirkwood sections, there are all these very specific places that were kind of meaningful to shoot. I definitely feel something. Maybe it's because I grew up here, but I'm very happy with how Kirkwood comes across as a character." 

Screenings will be Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m.  

The Saturday showing will be at the Tivoli Theater at 6380 Delmar Boulevard.  The Sunday showing will be at the Webster University Winifred Moore Auditorium at 470 E. Lockwood Avenue.

For festival and ticket information, go to www.cinemastlouis.org/fest.html

To see a trailer of the movie, go to www.howigotlost.com