UPDATE: listen to a recording of this event.

All stories are local, but Hollywood rarely does right by them. Too often, when portrayed on the big screen, stereotypes and contrived story lines trump the truth of living in a place.

Making a different sort of film is the topic of an essay in the July/August 2013 issue of Orion, “On Location,” which discusses the work of Jay Craven, whose feature-length films tell such place-based stories and, most importantly, are produced and screened right in their home region.

Are you a filmmaker eager to tell real stories? Ever wonder how to get a local film festival going? Then plan to join Jay for a live discussion moderated by Orion on July 16, at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific. Joining him to discuss the power of local filmmaking will be Harry Keramidas and Tamsen Merrill, two creators of The Ashfield FilmFest, an annual event that screens short films about a single town in rural western Massachusetts.

The event is free to join, will be moderated by Orion staff, and is open to all readers and friends. Register here.

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