Director Of Film Shot In Southwest Michigan Excited For Release

final_moondance
final_moondance

The writer and director of a new film that was shot in southwest Michigan says it’s rewarding to see all of his effort come to fruition. Cooper Flannigan is behind Moondance, which is screening this weekend around the Midwest. Moondance is a musical comedy about a film director trying to make a love story and musical. Flannigan tells WSJM News he always wanted to make a musical comedy.

“I grew up on Mel Brookes and was a big fan of that,” Flannigan said. “Just his whole style of making movies that are great satire, they’re really funny, and they’re completely over the top. They’re not really at all grounded in reality, and they almost always have some element of music to them.”

Moondance stars Carolyn Rabbers of St. Joseph, a dancer and Lakeshore High School graduate. Flannigan says he got connected with her when he and others on his team reached out to the dance studio where Rabbers worked.

“We had briefly met her and remembered her mentioning that she had been an actress years ago. She used to live in Los Angeles, and she had some experience with that. So we called her back and said, ‘Hey, are you interested in being in this movie?’ and she said absolutely. So it all moved very quickly, and we were so happy to have her.”

The male lead is Jonah Robinson of Chicago. The film also features Adam Conover from TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything as its narrator. Moondance was largely shot in Kalamazoo in September of 2018, and Flannigan says it was a treat to work in southwest Michigan.

“The difference between shooting in the Midwest, especially in Michigan, as opposed to most anywhere else is just how welcoming everybody is. It’s classic Midwest charm, but on display in a very tangible way when it comes to making films because everyone’s excited.”

Flannigan himself is from Constantine, Michigan. Moondance will be shown this Sunday at Celebration Cinema in Benton Harbor. You can find out more about screenings right here.