The wheels are in motion for a new museum that will showcase the history and culture of the film industry in Wilmington.
Rich Gehron, president of the Cape Fear Independent Film Network board of directors, said the museum will celebrate the projects and people that have contributed to the area’s vibrant film community.
“There’s a list of movies that have devoted followings by fans and it’s going to be a great place to keep film’s connection with this community in the public eye,” Gehron said. “The focus of this museum is to commemorate not just the projects, but the people who worked on these projects, the people who were here and all the work that was created and came out of this area.”
The group leading the project is hosting a public discussion at Giant Café on July 11 to encourage participation from all community members, especially from individuals outside of the film industry.
“We are looking to get advice from people who may not necessarily be film people, anyone who has an interest from a management side, or a tourism side, even a marketing side,” Gehron said.
Comments and suggestions have already poured in since the project was announced in June.
“It’s generated a good response, anything from people saying. ‘Oh, I have stuff I’d love to show you’ to people saying, ‘I want to help out but I don’t know how’ and everything in between,” Gehron said.
The idea was first proposed 10 years ago during a discussion between Gehron, local special effects artist Jeff Goodwin and a few other industry veterans. Goodwin reintroduced the idea during the 2014 Cape Fear Independent Film Festival in May and the group decided it was time to proceed.
The project is still in its infancy but some details are already shaping the vision. The group hopes the museum will be downtown, offer free admission and be open by 2016.
Goodwin is one of several people who have offered to donate props, costumes and other artifacts to the museum, and as offers continue to come in, Gehron said the group has to get creative.
“It’s a lot to fit into one physical space so we want to have an online and technological component that enhances the experience, for people to access more information than they otherwise could,” Gehron said.
The launch of the project coincides with a controversial push in Raleigh to eliminate the state’s film incentives, which some in the industry argue could lead to a slump in local productions. Gehron said it was not an intentional effort to plan the project around the political climate, but suggested the project would assume another layer of significance if business dried up.
“Especially if we experience a down period, it would be a nice thing to keep interest in the area, not just to the people who live here but to the tourists who come,” Gehron said.
The July 11 public meeting will take place at 6 p.m.
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