Star City Film Festival - “where the stars meet in the Midwest” - scheduled for July 15-17, at the historic Town Theater in Waukon


Star City Film Festival 2022... Submitted graphic.

Katie O’Regan ... Submitted photo.

The Standard talks with festival founder, Waukon’s Katie O’Regan, about the festival and her film premiere

by Julie Berg-Raymond

Sacred Noise Society, Inc. announces the Star City Film Festival, scheduled for July 15-17 at the historic Town Theater on Main Street in downtown Waukon. This is a coming-home for both the film festival and its founder, Katie O’Regan, of Waukon - a long-time actress, producer, director, and founder of Sacred Noise Society, Inc.

O’Regan initiated what was then called the Spring Grove International Film Festival in Spring Grove, MN in 2020. The festival featured an independent film called “Senior Entourage,” directed by L.A.-based artist Brian Connors. One of the stars of that film was multiple award-winning actor, the late Ed Asner - who came to Spring Grove as the inaugural film festival’s guest of honor.

In 2021, the film festival was held in Caledonia, MN. Actor-producer Daniel Baldwin was a guest star of the festival, which included a screening of his award-winning documentary film, “My Promise to PJ.” Asner returned to last year’s film festival, as well - and performed in a staged readers’ theatre presentation of “Good Morning, Miss America,” written by Portland, OR artist Phyllis Yes. O’Regan has since produced and directed - and also acts in - a feature-film version of the stage play, which will see its world premiere at the Star City Film Festival in Waukon. (Brief synopsis: “Jane, an accomplished artist and art professor from Portland, discovers unconditional love in a dramatic coming home story with her aging parents and estranged sister back in Minnesota” - https://www.imdb.com/)

Including that film premiere, the film festival will feature a total of 35 films of various lengths and subject matter shown over the three-day period of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 15-17. Films will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. A full festival pass is $50; volunteers will get a free pass. For ticket prices and more information - including how to volunteer - as well as a full schedule of films, go to www.sacrednoisesociety.org or see the advertisement on Page 2 of this week’s edition of The Standard.

CONVERSATION WITH THE FOUNDER
Standard: Tell us about the Star City Film Festival. Is it an outgrowth of the Spring Grove International Film Festival you founded in 2020?
Katie: The Star City Film Festival is the same film festival that I have produced over the last 2-1/2 years; this is the fourth film festival I have done. I changed the name for each of the festivals, but they are all outgrowths of the same festival. The first was in Spring Grove, MN - the Spring Grove International Film Festival. We had a parade, and the late Ed Asner was our guest star; we had films in-person and online in the middle of the pandemic (September 2020). The second was in Caledonia, MN - The Spring Grove-Caledonia Film Festival. We had a parade in July of 2021, with Ed Asner and actor Daniel Baldwin as guests of honor. The third was The Spring Grove-Caledonia-Sheboygan Film Festival in Sheboygan, WI in September of 2021. This year’s film festival is based in Waukon - and I have permanently changed the festival name to The Star City Film Festival. Star City represents the star filmmakers that come to our part of the world, and the stars that you can see in our beautiful Midwestern skies.

Where are you from?
I am generations from Waukon on my father’s side of the family. The O’Regans and Bresnahans and Sullivans and Lyons are having a family reunion at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds the same weekend as our film festival, Sunday. We have a couple hundred years of down-home in this part of the country. My mother’s side of the family is from St. Lucas, and we have a huge population of cousins on the Franzen side as well. Waukon is my ancestral home and so is Waucoma. I was born in Caledonia, MN, and our family moved to Waucoma when I was five years old; I graduated from Turkey Valley High School. I spent my childhood driving to Waukon with my parents and six brothers to visit my wonderful grandparents, Maurice and Mary O’Regan. Those are some of the best memories I have in my life. So, here I am. I renovated and bought the Waukon home of Dick Schilling, who was an amazing man and editor of the Waukon newspaper his entire adult life. It’s funny how history happens, and the circle of life brings us where it wants to take us.

Why did you originally decide to start a film festival in this area?
I had a dream about it and was called to do it. I lost my mother and moved back to the area when she got sick; and I stayed because my father lives here and - well, I love it here. It is my original home. After living in New York City for a long time, Chicago for many years, Miami for one year and Milwaukee for quite a few years, my soul wanted to be in nature, I suppose. I maintain my home and office in Sheboygan, WI, which is a beautiful community by the lake; but my full-time home and office is now in Waukon, where I am staying … well, unless I have another dream and God sends me packing. So far, I have been back in this area four and half years, and simply travel to where I need to be.

Tell us about the venue.
The historic Town Theater on Main Street in Waukon is so cool. It has chairs and tables and pizza, and you can get a drink or a soda and popcorn while watching the movies It seats about 120. The new owners, John and his wife, are great. The marquee is going to get a makeover and the spirit of the theater is making a comeback after the pandemic hit it hard the last two years. I want to take the spirit of the theater by the hand and help it shine with our new film festival.

When did you form Sacred Noise Society, and what is its purpose?
I founded Sacred Noise Society 25 years ago. Sacred Noise means your inner creative voice. I call that sacred. I brought my permanent office to Waukon this year because it made sense for me to do so. I had an office in Caledonia, but I run a non-profit and expenses are high for a film festival. I still maintain ties to Caledonia and have an address there. I serve the Minnesota filmmaker crew in my film festival and the Wisconsin filmmaker crew and the Iowa filmmaker crew with this festival. That being said, it is a national film festival with entries from different places. We have a number of returning filmmakers this year with new films. There are a couple of great Iowa documentaries, a beautiful historic film, a film noir from New York City. You can find a list of all the films and times on the Sacred Noise Society website: sacrenoisesociety.org

You’ve spent much of the past year working on your film, “Good Morning, Miss America.” Will this festival be its world premiere?
This is our world premiere! It’s next screening is in Portland, OR August 14, at the historic Cinema theater in Portland.

What has the experience of making this film been like for you?
Doing this film changed my life. It is my first big feature as a director, producer and actor. Phyllis Yes, the writer of the story, is an amazing woman. It is her story, and it was my privilege to bring it to life (on stage twice, once in Decorah dinner theater at the Steyer Opera House and once as an off-Broadway production in New York City, and now as a feature film). Phyllis will be in attendance at our world premiere. We will do a talk-back after the show. Once again: It was a privilege for me to play her in the feature film. Phyllis “Jane Nelson” tells the story of her family as the narrator, really. It is based on the true story of Phyllis’s family. “Good Morning, Miss America” plays at 6:30 Saturday night and at 4:45 Sunday night at the theater.

Where can we find more information about the film festival? About “Good Morning, Miss America”?
Go to Sacred Noise Society’s website and also go to IMBD to learn about our amazing cast and crew. Our cast will be in attendance for the premiere. They are flying in from California and coming in from Milwaukee. It was my privilege to act with them and direct them to the finish line. One of my crew members, Robert Barhite, is originally from Waukon - so that is cool. He is also a filmmaker with a short film in our festival.