Area natives to present an evening of short movies and short stories at Endless Mountains Theatre at 7 pm on Sunday, April 23.

Even though filmmaker Kylos Brannon and Barrelhouse magazine co-founder Joe Killiany have lived in Washington, DC, for five years, they still consider NEPA home. That’s why they’re returning to Scranton on Sunday, April 23, to present Take that Hill, an event featuring a series of short movies curated by Brannon, and readings of short stories featured in Barrelhouse. The performance will take place at Endless Mountains Theater, and will be hosted by Sam Falbo, an actor popular on area stages and a longtime friend of Brannon and Killiany.

“Besides presenting some movies and stories that I really like to a brand new audiences, the best part of Take that Hill is collaborating with Sam and Kylos again,” Killiany said. From 1996 to 2000, the three men headed Curtain Call Theatre Company, an NEPA-based troupe that performed in the area during their college breaks.

Take that Hill is truly a group effort, and its name reflects this fact. While trying to decide what to call the event, it became evident to the organizers that everyone involved—from the writers and directors to the crews, designers, and film editors, not to mention the bands featured in the documentary being screened—had one thing in common: the desire to create art without the expectation of reward.

“Sure, it would be nice to get paid for what we do,” Falbo said. “But that’s not the carrot moving us forward. In fact, worrying about money and accolades can get in the way of creating, and that’s why we say forget all that. Just take that hill. Do your stuff for the sake of doing it.”
The program will include readings of four short stories, two of which appeared in the first two issues of Barrelhouse; the other two were featured on the magazine’s website (http://www.barrelhousemag.com/). The stories range in topic from a man’s chance encounter with the mentally unstable at a mall food court to a large restaurant chain’s hiring of a desperate writer to pen a novel detailing its rise to prominence.

The five films being screened—each between three and twenty minutes long—vary in style and tone. Two are directed by Brannon: “An Impression: Dischord Records,” gives a thirteen minute overview of the Washington-based Dischord record label and includes interviews with members of the DC music community including label co-founder Ian MacKaye; “Exploratory Surgery”—sections of which were filmed in Carbondale, PA—examines the conflict between a brother and sister, one of whom still lives in their parents’ basement while the other has done her best to bury her small town roots. Rounding out the films are shorts by Bert Mains and Andy Bely and a three minute cartoon by designer and filmmaker Rachel Max.

“Our hope is that Take that Hill appeals to a diverse audience, especially people who wouldn’t generally attend readings, which can be dull, or short film festivals, which can be hit or miss,” Brannon said. “We’ve tried to set Take that Hill up in such a way that it has something for everyone.”

Take that Hill takes place at 7 pm on Sunday, April 23 at Endless Mountains Theatre, 933 Scranton/Carbondale Highway, Route 6, Scranton, PA. More information and presale tickets are available from the event’s webpage, www.myspace.com/take_that_hill Admission: $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Questions: take_that_hill@yahoo.com