BELFAST — Local production company Feet Pic Productions is currently in pre-production of Rockweed. A feature film set in the Midcoast area, Rockweed is loosely based on a true story from the community, told with a magical spin. 

The production is looking to cast locals as extras for bar and party scenes – no experience necessary, just enthusiasm, according to a news release. If you are interested in helping out behind the scenes and learning about how movies are made, the production is looking for PAs to help set up shots and support the crew during the production.
 
Rockweed follows protagonist Mar, who is brought back to Maine after the death of her father. Quickly falling for a local drug dealer, she ends up dragged into old patterns, but when tragedy strikes she is forced to reckon with who she wants to become. Meanwhile, Selkie – a mythological creature of Celtic origin – follows an eerily similar path to Mar as she must rescue herself from greedy fishermen and find her way back home to the sea. The heroines – both magical and real – must face inner and outer demons in their journey to find peace and create a home for themselves. 
 
Inspired by the true story of several drug-related murders in the 1980s in the Belfast area, as well as the magical stories of selkies and sea serpents passed on for generations, Clare Olson (producer/writer) wrote Rockweed as an exploration into the cycles of trauma and darkness within the community, juxtaposed by beauty and love.

“When I was researching the original 1980s cases, I was struck by, if you changed just a few details in the story, the events could have happened during my adolescence in the opioid crisis,” said Olson. “I wanted to tell a story that encapsulated that feeling of deja-vu; history repeating itself, and cycles of hard-to-break trauma. Still, there are such beautiful moments of healing, redemption and magic in the original story. I also have seen similar moments of grace and light in my life–I wanted to tell a messy, beautiful story to encapsulate that.”

This is Olson’s first feature film. 
 
Rockweed will be directed by Kaye Tuckerman, joined by Jerry Aquino as director of photography and Hannah Wells as Artistic Director. Starring in the production is a roster of local talent–Clare Olson, Zsolt Kormendy, Nathan Howard, Savannah Szumilas, and Ryan Asselin. Shoot dates are set for September 30 through October 9 in the Midcoast area. 
 
Along with film extras, financial support is also appreciated, according to Olson, and fundraising for the movie remains open for all interested patrons of local art.

For more information: 

Contact Person: Clare Olson
Contact info: clare.lynn.olson@gmail.com
Instagram: @rockweed.film / Tiktok: @rockweedfilm / Facebook: Rockweed Film
Company: Feet Pic Productions