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City Council delays movie action

The words “That’s a wrap” might be heard before “Action” as a proposed motion picture filming in Fergus Falls appears to be in jeopardy.

Fergus Falls city council members on Monday opted to delay a decision on a film at the Regional Treatment Center until meeting with campus developers later this month.

The delay essentially puts the film project on hold, said Dav Kaufman, a Twin Cities-based filmmaker and author who is hoping to use the RTC as the site for his next movie. Kaufman, staff from the Minnesota Film and TV Board, and Jean Bowman of the Fergus Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau were on-hand Monday to tell council members more about the film and address any concerns.

But Kaufman didn’t walk out of the meeting with a deal in hand. Instead, he was handed a three-week delay that could force the filmmaker to look beyond Fergus Falls for the location of his film.

Monday’s decision to delay approval of the film will give council members time to learn more about negotiations by the Campus Development Group (CDG) with Chinese educators to bring a multicultural business college to the RTC grounds, council members said. A meeting with members of CDG is currently scheduled for Aug. 25 but may be moved to Aug. 18.

Richard Anderson, president of CDG, expressed his opposition to filming at the RTC in a July letter to Fergus Falls Mayor Russ Anderson, stating that the movie would create a sense of insecurity in the community and add to the anxiety parents already feel when sending a student to college.

Harold Stanislawski of the Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission said the CDG doesn’t want any stigma attached to what could be a $50 million project, adding members of CDG have been working on the project for 16 months and have made several trips to China and hosted a Chinese delegation in Fergus Falls in May.

Council members echoed those concerns.

“I’m real hesitant to put the CDG at risk, here, with their negotiations,” said Councilman Rick Wilson. Councilman Ron Burt voiced concern over the film’s content and how it would be received by another culture.

Greg Stumbo was the only councilman who appeared in favor of the film.

“I think this project really represents a step forward in this community,” he said.

Kaufman suggested the concerns surrounding the film are unfounded.

“This is not a movie that’s going to shine any negative light on that gorgeous building,” said Kaufman, referring to the Kirkbride. “This is not a horror film. This is not a slasher film. The last thing we want to do is show this community in a negative light.”

Though a confidentiality agreement with his distributor prohibits Kaufman from revealing many of the plot’s details, he did give council members a feel for the storyline Monday. Kaufman’s film, titled “The Psychosis of Ghosts,” follows a young college student who takes a job as a night guard at an abandoned hospital. The student later encounters spirits inhabiting the facility and uses his knowledge of psychology to help them.

Kaufman stressed that the script is entirely fictional and does not identify the RTC or its location in Fergus Falls. Furthermore, the RTC is essentially set-ready and would require few changes; the art department would document the facility in video and photos before the arrival of cast and crew to make sure it is returned to its original likeness.

“You walk in there and you have a set,” Kaufman said. “It’s an incredible, incredible gem.”

Kaufman first learned of the RTC from Chis Grap, a staff person with the Minnesota Film and TV Board who toured Fergus Falls and many other outstate communities last year. Inspired by the photos he saw of the Kirkbride, Kaufman proceeded to write a script to be shot at the RTC. Before that happens, however, the City of Fergus Falls must agree to lease the facility to Kaufman and his crew for 30 days of filming from mid-October to mid-November.

But the council’s desire to wait until the end of the month to make a decision will put the project at risk.

Kaufman said he will start to look more aggressively for other locations to film as he waits for the council’s decision.

“We’re at a standstill,” he said. “I think we’ve said what we have to say and now it’s up to the city council to decide what’s best.”