Death of the Reel (Short Film)

Guy Maddin flys to Kansas City, Missouri, in a vain attempt to save cinema as it continues to die from contempt and neglect.

The tongue-in-cheek project, titled Death of the Reel, is being shot in classic Maddin style, which is to say silent and on high-contrast black-and-white film. Sound effects, and title cards will be inserted in post-production.

The story? Well, it begins in a Winnipeg bar where filmmaker Guy Maddin (played by, yes, Guy Maddin) reads a newspaper article declaring the death of cinema in the United States. He decides to ride — or fly — to the rescue.

"Guy is filming shots from his point of view, and no doubt that footage will have his very specific slant on things," stated Benjamin Meade.

"I haven’t seen the script for this film we’re making. Ben has it all in his head," Maddin said as pilot Ron Wright readied the Fairchild PT-19B, owned by the not-for-profit Commemorative Air Force.

"The idea is that the young people of Kansas have been zombified by their iPhones and iPods and have become celluloid illiterates who watch postage stamp-sized movies on tiny screens. I’m here to save cinema."

The narration is by performance artist Lydia Lunch, and the soundtrack by the legendary Alloy Orchestra.