Rising Film-maker to Present in Lake Wales

Downtown Lake Wales' Mélange Gallery will host a visit from poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker Will Berry on Thursday March 21. A resident of Maine, Berry has won numerous awards at film festivals in North America and Europe and is developing his own unique way of utilizing the media in very surprising ways.

A graduate of Brown University's noted film school, Berry will screen some of his projects during the evening, and answer questions about his ground-breaking style. He writes and casts his scripts, and so retains complete artistic control over each project.

His political thriller "Off the Record" won him a nomination as "Best New Foreign Director" at the Winchester Film Festival, while his sci-fi/comedy "Omphaloskepsis" has garnered multiple nominations, including "Best Escapism Film" at the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival.

The presentation is part of Mélange Gallery's monthly "Living Out Loud" Poet and Writer's Society. The group gathers area writers to share their creations.

Also presenting at this month's event will be local writer and illustrator Grace Engholm, who will share some of her past and future works. She has more than a dozen highly-illustrated books in print.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Mélange, located at 250 East Park Ave., at the corner of Scenic Highway.