UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, November 30,1995
7A
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Dan Minvish, center, directs on the set of "Omaha (the Movie)." Mirvish's movie opens at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St.
'Omaha' to visit local movie screen
Film offers low-budget view of Cornhusker state
By Brenden Sager Kansan staff writer
The story is about a young man, Simon, who returns from an overseas trip and finds himself in Nebraska being chased by Colombian jewel thieves and kickboxers.
"It's a romantic comedy-adventurekick boxing-kind of movie," said Mirvish, the 28-year-old director, producer and distributor of "Omaha (the Movie)."
Mirvish said he was a second-year graduate student at the University of Southern California when he began the project in Spring 1993.
Mirvish said the film cost $38,000, not including the donation of two movie cameras, a dolly and some station wagons for a chase scene. Mirvish also saved money by using the sun as the primary light source.
Mirvish wanted to make a movie for his
So Mirvish struck out on his own.
He said the script was written in 10 days, and the movie was shot in four weeks. Eight months later, "Omaha (the Movie)" was ready to go.
Dan Mirvish's cinematic interpretation of Omaha is coming to Lawrence tomorrow.
Because Mirvish grew up in Omaha, he said he also saved himself the cost of bigname actors by using former high school buddies for the characters, including Jill Anderson, who plays Gina, the female lead.
There was political support from the community as well. The governor of Nebraska, Ben Nelson, the mayor of
Omaha, P.J. Morgan, and the county sheriff, Richard Roth, all appeared in the film.
So Mirvish struck out on his own.
master's thesis but it was university policy for USC to own all films produced by students who used any of the university's equipment, he said.
Making movies is Mirvish's life. Since he was unable to get a job renting movies at Blockbuster Video or selling popcorn at movie theaters, his only income came from distributing his movies.
But Mirish also said that his fiancee, Rachel Miller, a Los Angeles physician, helped him financially, too.
"She supports the lifestyle I've become accustomed to," he said.
"Umana (the Movie)" opens at 9:30 tomorrow night at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St.
Scott Bliss, manager of Liberty Hall, said he expected the movie to be a treat for anyone from Nebraska and possibly a few others.
Bliss said that he had seen the film and that it lived up to its title.
"It puts the spotlight on Nebraska, all right," he said.
KU Meditation Club presents
on
A Lecture/Demonstration
Psychophysiology of Meditation and Biofeedback
Sarah Bremer-Parks
Sarah Bremer-Parks Psychologist at Biofeedback Center, Meninger's Hospital, Topeka on Thursday, Nov. 30th, in Room 4002, Wescoe Hall at 7 p.m.
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