Hitting Hollywood?
Director Kevin Smith gets copy of Periscope Pictures’ ‘Kooperman’ for consideration
A made-in-P.E.I. film has been passed to Kevin Smith.
A made in P.E.I. film has caught the attention of Hollywood director, writer, and podcaster Kevin Smith. “Kooperman,” a featurelength comedy movie by P.E.I.’s Periscope Pictures, screened last week at Fundy Fan Fest, a comic convention held in St. John, N.B. “When we heard Kevin Smith was coming to Fundy Fan Fest, we reached out to the organizers because he is mentioned in our movie,” says producer and co-writer Jason Rogerson. “After watching ‘Kooperman,’ they agreed it was a great fit for their festival.” Smith is known for iconic films such as “Clerks,” “Mallrats,” “Dogma,” as well as the television series, “Comic Book Men.” He and his comedy partner, Jason Mewes, are famous for their Jay and Silent Bob characters that launched from the movie “Clerks” and continue to do touring live shows.
“Like ‘Kooperman,’ ‘Clerks’ was a micro-budget comedy,” says director and co-writer Harmony Wagner, “so we figured if we could meet Smith, he would be able to relate and maybe even help us.”
Periscope Pictures launched a social media campaign looking for ideas on how to get a USB copy of “Kooperman” into the hands of this famous director, who owns his own distribution company.
“At first we thought it was just a bit of fun for our social media, but people suggested some really useful ideas as well,” says producer Jason Rogerson. “When we got to Fundy Fan Fest, we took the opportunity to move the Island film industry forward very seriously.”
After the film screening, Wagner and Rogerson were able to present Smith with a copy of the film for his consideration. “He is very approachable and generous with his time at these events,” smiles Wagner. “And with over 3 million twitter followers, he is a great connection to have made.”
A recipient of the Telefilm Micro-Budget Production Program, “Kooperman” premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival. Since then, it has screened at several regional film festivals and national comic-cons. The film is available to rent at www.vimeo.com/ondemand/kooperman. For the latest, visit @koopermanmovie on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/kupermanmovie.