UT professor premieres his indie film on campus

On Sept. 15, the UT Cinema Club presented the independent film “Something, Anything” for free to view in the Art & Architecture building at UT.

“Something, Anything” tells the story of Peggy who experiences a tragedy that shakes everything she has been raised to believe in and she is driven to find faith elsewhere. The film depicts her journey to self discovery.

 The film was written and directed by Paul Harrill, an Associate Professor of the Art Department at UT, but was also filmed mostly in Knoxville with a few shots in Virginia and Kentucky. “Something, Anything” has been viewed nationally and internationally at many film festivals. It was the opening film for the Knoxville Film Festival.

 Although the film was made in Knoxville, it is not a piece that according to Harrill had to necessarily have been set there.

“I don’t think it has to be (in Knoxville),” Harrill said. “I think it (the film) does carry some values from the South, and it has the sort of mid-size southern city feel, which we receive in Knoxville. However, the values that Peggy is wrestling with, having a career and getting married and having a family by the time she reaches a certain age, seems all very southern to me.”

 Harrill hopes the movie serves as inspiration for UT students.

“I certainly don’t expect UT students to make movies like this; feature length, content, etc.,” Harrill said. “But this is a very personal film to me and it comes from a personal place. That’s what I want my students to do as well. I want them to find something that’s important to them, whatever it is,whether it’s funny or sad, and put that into what they do.”

This is the first year that UT is offering Cinema Studies as a major and Matt Miller, a senior with a minor in theatre, is utilizing the new option. Miller also really enjoyed the film.

“I thought it was really interesting that she was aimless and not a lot of films are made that convey this well,” Miller said. “This is the first full length movie that I’ve seen of his (Harrill’s) but I’ve also seen some of his shorts and I have taken many of his classes, and am taking one right now and really enjoying it.”

“Something, Anything” is the debut feature of Paul Harrill’s website Self-Reliant Film, which is dedicated to blogging and DIY-filmmaking. Self-Reliant films has also been approved as a DVD label and distributing company.

Edited by Jessica Carr

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