The Cinemaniacs Filmmaking Club of UMPI had one goal over the last two semesters: to make a film.
The result became “The 9th Reward.” The story follows Robin, who is trapped inside a room with three doors. She must choose one and play a nefarious game or die trying.
Senior Ethan Dube wrote the screenplay the previous summer. He is also the vice president of the club and directed the film. “ I have insomnia and tend to write when I do, and this a result,” Dube said.
In the early part of the spring semester, the club decided that they wanted to present it on University Day. By that point in the production, they were finished filming but had a long way to go before they would be finished.
The cast and crew experienced several challenges along the way. “We had an intense filming schedule and one of our actors dropped out on the first day of filming, so I had to replace him as the actor, which was difficult because I was the director and one of the camera operators,” Dube said.
On University Day, the room filled up so quickly for the presentation of the movie that they decided to move to a larger classroom. About 50 students, faculty, staff and community members attended the screening.
If you would like to see “The 9th Reward,” it’s available on YouTube as “The 9th Reward – A Short Film.”
