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NOTEBOOK: The year in pictures, Iowa-style

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If you are like most people, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “Iowa” is locally produced movies. Our friends at the state film office, now called Produce Iowa, sent us a little summary of what went on  in 2017. We can’t say that scenes from “The Last Jedi” were shot near Alleman, but we can say it was a busy year. Some highlights:

The political comedy series “Embeds” premiered in January on Verizon go90. All six episodes of the digital series were filmed in Iowa and produced by L.A.-based Haven Entertainment and Michael De Luca Productions.

“The Film Lounge” launched as a television series on IPTV in February featuring works by Iowa-based independent filmmakers. The deadline for short film submissions for season three is June 1.

Produce Iowa identified 26 Iowa college and university media production programs and convened their department chairs in Des Moines for its first higher education summit. The June meeting provided a chance for networking, discussing the special attributes of each program, and sharing professional-development opportunities for students to transition into the business world. 

The Iowa-produced documentary “Saving Brinton” premiered at the AFI Docs Film Festival in Washington, D.C. “Saving Brinton” is the story of an eccentric collector in southeast Iowa who discovers the film reels of the turn-of-the-19th-century entertainer Frank Brinton, who lived in Washington, Iowa. More than 130 films were discovered in a basement among other movie paraphernalia and Magic Lantern slides, including two long-lost films by George Méliès. “Saving Brinton” was produced by Barn Owl Pictures. 

The culturally centered people of Winterset renovated and reopened the Iowa Theater on the town square. Webster City celebrated its restored theater by attracting the founder and CEO of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey. He attended the premiere of the “Made in Iowa” short documentary. Square, a San Francisco-based company, filmed the documentary in Iowa, using an Iowa crew. 

In August, “Amelia 2.0” held its world premiere in Cedar Rapids, the city where it was filmed and where the story originated. The movie was originally a play by writer Rob Merritt named “The Summerland Project,” which was produced at Theatre Cedar Rapids. Director Adam Orton and his team adapted the story for the big screen. 

Alternating Currents launched in August in downtown Davenport as a festival that features film, art, music and comedy. 

Des Moines welcomed back Haven Entertainment for seasons two and three of its digital series “Play by Play.” Crews filmed at Roosevelt High School and around Greater Des Moines from August to November. Watch the first season on Verizon go90.

A big rush of submissions for “The Film Lounge” prompted a one-hour bonus episode called “The Film Lounge: Halloween Style.”  

Produce Iowa co-hosted NASA astronaut and Iowa native Peggy Whitson at the Celebrate Iowa Gala this December at the State Historical Museum of Iowa.