By Raynard Churchwell
Dr. Philip Lewis
Phil Lewis, Associate Director of the School of Film, Media and Theatre at Georgia State University, will be honored by the Texas Short International Film Festival for his latest film “Jeff Comes Home.”
Lewis’s film captures the heartache so often associated with young love as his main character reflects on a whirlwind European romance.
This film is a sequel to Lewis’s Petra (2018) which was produced as part of the study abroad offerings within the School of Film, Media & Theatre. In the model of Richard Linklater’s, “Before” series of films, "Jeff Comes Home" tells the story of a boy returning home after having been changed by an experience abroad, only to find resistance and skepticism awaiting him from his family and friends.
Lewis credits his crew’s diligence and focus for producing the film in the brief timeframe of the Maymester.
“The biggest challenge was trying to put together a 24-minute script in three weeks,” Lewis said. “We had to audition actors, find locations, organize the shoot, and then finally do the shoot. It was very difficult, and we had to work quickly. We are lucky to secure a farm in Lawrenceville where we did all the shooting, and we are very appreciative of the couple (Danny Lundsford and Family) who allowed us to take over two of their houses for 2 weeks of shooting.”
“It takes an entire community to make a film happen and this proves it! Another challenge that we had was that Jeff makes a phone call to his girlfriend (Petra) in Hungary so I had to shoot that half of the scene in Hungary months before we actually did the production in Lawrenceville.”
The film has already received rave reviews and has been nominated for several awards including Best Relationship Drama.
When asked about the success of the film, Lewis credits the special talent and teamwork that Georgia State University possesses.
“We all have some fantastic talent here at George State University,” Lewis said. “However, the greatest thing that we have is the ability to come together as a team and work seamlessly in a cooperative way. I've never seen anything like it at any other university"
Key Cast (“Jeff Kovacs”), Adam Levinthal - Key Cast (“Jeb Kovacs”), Mary Emily Deal – Key Cast (“Ma”), Christian Polizzi, Key Cast (“Sadie”), Leah Thompson – Key Cast (“Megan’), Agnes Villö Födesi – Key Cast (“Petra Farkas”), and Keith Tims – Key Cast (‘Pa”).
For information on the film, you can follow “Jeff Comes Homes” on Facebook.