NEPA Scene Staff

Filmed in NEPA, indie movie ‘F-Word’ premieres at Moonlite Drive-In in West Wyoming on Nov. 6

Filmed in NEPA, indie movie ‘F-Word’ premieres at Moonlite Drive-In in West Wyoming on Nov. 6
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From a press release:

When local movie fans watch the premiere of “F-Word” at the Moonlite Drive-In in West Wyoming this weekend, many will recognize the film’s locations – and the cast. The new feature film was shot on location in Northeastern Pennsylvania last year with local talent.

Co-written by Heidi Germaine Schnappauf and Mike Wawrzynek, “F-Word” focuses on Mike Gallagher, an average, all-American guy. Engaged to the love of his life and teaching middle school English, his life is as happy as can be until a Sunday matinee performance at his local theater turns his world upside-down.

When a picture of Mike gets plastered all over the school, he quickly finds out that not all of the parents at Woodward West Middle School appreciate his talent for dressing up in women’s clothes. Now, with his job on the line, Mike learns his fiancé is going to have a baby and, of all of the F-words he’s been called, “father” is the one that scares him most.

Schnappauf, a professional actor and stuntwoman from Kingston, also directed the film. The result of her first time behind the camera was a winner at the Toronto Independent Film Festival (No-Budget Feature) and an official selection at the IndieFEST Film Awards. Now, the 77-minute film is ready for a local audience.

The premiere is scheduled for this Friday, Nov. 6. Gates at the Moonlite Drive-In (1190 Shoemaker Ave., West Wyoming) open at 5 p.m., and the movie starts at 6:30 p.m. Admission is a $5 donation or a nonperishable food or personal care item that will be donated to the NEPA Youth Shelter, a nonprofit organization that opened an after-school drop-in center in Scranton to provide important resources for high school students in need. For more details, visit the Facebook event page.

“F-Word” is a story about love, acceptance, understanding, and support, and Schnappauf found an amazing level of community support when shooting began. The entire cast and crew – from lead actors to makeup artists and electricians – volunteered their time to bring “F-Word” to life. A successful Kickstarter campaign raised $19,060 for the production, and additional funds came from a telethon-style live stream featuring performances by NEPA musicians.

Principal photography was completed in just six weekend days while she worked her full-time stuntwoman gig on the NBC television series “Blindspot” during the week.

“The overwhelming support from not only my friends, but the entire community has been so unexpected, but enormously and graciously accepted and appreciated. Childhood friends donated their houses and spaces for meeting, location shooting, and screening. My favorite local restaurants got involved with offering their services at generous discounts,” Schnappauf said.

Something Special Bakery and Canteen Park, both in Kingston, offered amazingly delicious and healthy options for our breakfast and lunch every day, and Goldstein’s Deli provided a little more on days with over 100 people called to set. Local businesses such as Jeff D’Angelo’s Design Group donated all of the amazing movie props for one of the biggest scenes in the film – and the Wyoming Valley West School District helped us out with a location to film all of the school scenes. The Kingston police even helped us to be safe while shooting on a makeshift process trailer on the streets of Kingston one rainy Sunday morning. To say that this community really pulled together to help make this movie even possible is an understatement.”

Over the years, Schnappauf has been set on fire, blown up, waterboarded, drowned, strangled, beaten, and hit by cars, all for the sake of entertainment. From playing Anne Frank on the stage of the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre to crashing fire trucks and fighting bad guys, she now makes her living as a professional stuntwoman, stunt coordinator, actress, and director.

She graduated with honors from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before earning a list of film credits that include “Paranormal Activity 2,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” “Ghostbusters,” “Birdman,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” just to name a few. On the small screen, she’s performed in shows like “Jessica Jones” (starring Shickshinny native Krysten Ritter), “Orange Is the New Black,” “Gotham,” “Great News,” “The Following,” and “Blue Bloods.” Most recently, she was part of the three-time Emmy-nominated stunt team on “Blindspot,” serving as the stunt double for actress Jaimie Alexander.

The mission of the NEPA Youth Shelter is to provide quality emergency shelter and related services to unaccompanied youth ages 14 through high school graduation from all counties in NEPA. The shelter provides essentials such as food, clothing, and bathrooms, as well as services such as educational support, counseling, family reunification, and/or preparation for independent living. With a focus on social justice and advocacy, the shelter welcomes youth from all backgrounds and especially affirming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth, as this population constitutes a high percentage of homeless youth in the area.