John Bosley’s ‘Amnesia’ at RebFest

By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
    County filmmaker, John W. Bosley, will be showcasing his film, “Amnesia”, at RebFest, March 29 – April 4.  Bosley had toured with the film in July 2008 throughout the state and also had returned last fall to investigate the possibility of producing his next film in Aroostook County. Since that time Bosley’s film has started to gain attention on the Internet and with industry people, but he is still finding it difficult to get the film out into the mainstream market.
     “The system is broken,” Bosley stated. “The traditional route that an independent filmmaker is expected to take in order to gain a distributor via film festivals no longer works. Also, the recession makes the traditional film festival too expensive for the average audience member. We needed another way to reach out to the population.”
    RebFest is a new Web-based venue designed to promote the talents of emerging filmmakers. Many of the films that are being shown on the site are from filmmaker’s who have either entered film festivals or are about to and want another way to promote their film.
    “Amnesia” is the story of a man, Allan Carter, who wakes up with amnesia. He doesn’t know what world he has woken up to, but does know that he is looking for his wife and son. Carter finds himself being shot at, hiding in caves and secret tunnels and being chased through the forest while constantly searching for the truth.
    “I am happy to be able to band together with other filmmaker’s and show my film as part of RebFest, “Bosley explained. “Many people in Maine commented how they wished they could see the film, but were unable to because gas was $4 a gallon last summer, making it impractical to drive any long distance to see the film. Now people from Maine and others around the world, who wanted to see it, can simply go to the Web site and view the film for free. But only for a very limited time.”
    “I was inspired by the original version of “The Planet of the Apes.” I liked how the film reached many different types of audiences and how it had some relevance to the time and the culture of those who watched it,” the young filmmaker stated. “Amnesia” has been compared to popular television shows such as “Lost” and “Jericho”.  Some audience members commented it is similar to movies like “Signs” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”.
     Bosley has used the interest and excitement surrounding his first film to connect to the key individuals needed to produce the second film. There have been various established actors who have voiced interest in Bosley’s next film, “The House,“ some of whom are native Mainers.  
    Bosley plans to setup his post-production studio at the Loring Commerce Center in Limestone. His production team also plans on shooting the majority of the film at a historic Victorian home in Houlton.  Many additional scenes are slated to be shot around Presque Isle and Bosley hopes to capture many prominent key local areas of interest.
    More information on the production of “The House” will be released at a later date.
    To view “Amnesia” at RebFest, go to www.rebfest.com or check out the film at www.jbmovies.com