Feature film to be shot in Hamburg area

Berks County Community Fund awards grant to filmmakers

Riding on the heels of their successful Traffic Opera short film, Sue Lange and Andrew Pochan are gearing up to shoot a fulllength feature film thanks to a grant from Berks County Community Fund.

“This is a big step for us,” said Lange. “But it’s the logical thing for us to do next.”

Using money received from the Community Fund’s rural arts grant, they are finalizing pre-production on a film entitled “Dust Nuggets.”

“We’ve been working on the film for a couple of years,” said Pochan. “We first thought we’d do a series of very short films for Youtube about a band called Dust Nuggets, but the story became much more involved. It’s turned into something much bigger.”

The story, involving a band that makes it big only to end tragically, will be shot mostly in Berks County on area stages and in local bars such as McArdles Pub near Hamburg. As per the requirements of the Arts grant, the film will premiere at the Hamburg Strand sometime middle to late next year.

“Right now, we’re mostly trying to raise money,” Lange said. “The grant got us started but we’ll need quite a bit more to do the shooting and editing.”

To that end, the pair are hosting a fundraising event on Nov. 8 at The Loft, 505 Penn Street, Reading. They’ll be showcasing a number of performers who will be in the film, such as Drag Queen Amie Vanité, Vicki Haller Graff, Julie Shuck, Christine Cieiplinski. Other musicians and singers from the community such as Maria Damore and Angie Ezell will also be on hand. Lange and Pochan are hoping some of the film music will be completed in time to be performed at the fundraiser as well.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8. There will be no cover. Organizers are asking for donations instead. Details on the film and the fundraiser can be found at the Dust Nuggets facebook page, or by contacting sue@schottproductions.com.

They are also seeking extras for the film. If interested contact them at the address above. All ages and ethnicities are needed. Shooting will begin December of this year or January of next.

As with their previous productions, Tracy Schott is executive producing the film. She is known for her feature documentary, Finding Jenn’s Voice, as well as many other productions.