FSU alum’s film chosen for world premiere at iconic theater that once hosted the Oscars

Chris Leary, a Florida State University alumnus, was living alone in Los Angeles, California during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak — an experience he never thought would lead to his success in the film industry.

But becoming the director of the 2023 film “Footnotes” over the last couple of years, and playing one of the leading roles in the movie, recently landed him the opportunity of seeing it on the big screen as a world premiere in California’s TCL Chinese Theater Monday June 26.

The 95-minute independent film was selected in April by a top 10 North American Film Festival "Dances with Films" to have its world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theater — an iconic movie palace known for hosting some of Hollywood’s biggest premieres and for being the former location of the Oscars in the late 1940s.

“It’s a gratifying feeling,” Leary, 29, told the Tallahassee Democrat. “I’m very grateful that somebody saw what I was doing and appreciated the work. It was two to three years of blood, sweat and tears and just toiling away.”

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An Orlando, Florida native who is currently based in L.A., Leary graduated from FSU's College of Motion Picture Arts with his bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 2015.

The university’s College of Motion Picture Arts is known to be one of the top film schools in the nation and was ranked no. 14 in The Hollywood Reporter’s ranking of the “25 Best American Film Schools.”

Among Leary's acting roles in a dozen films and his role as director of about six films — with most of them being short productions — he is mostly known for being an actor in a 2020 movie called "Fear Pharm" as well as the writer and director of the 2018 short "Hometown Dan."

He started shooting the film “Footnotes” in 2021, which is about two people who meet during quarantine in 2020 and develop a friendship while also developing strong feelings toward one another.

The idea for the movie came from Leary’s personal experience during the pandemic of being on lockdown, living alone and meeting someone — actress Sharayu Mahale, who also plays one of the lead roles in the film — along the way.

“It all just kind of flowed out of me over a few months,” Leary said. “With the COVID element, I felt like I either had to do the film now for it to be immediately relevant or wait 15 years from now for it to have the perspective of looking back at everything.”

Leary says he always had a love for acting and film growing up, being a child actor and performing in community theater as well as in short films.

“It kind of became a do or die moment, and I decided to go for it,” he added.

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As Leary takes part in his movie’s accomplishment as an FSU graduate, he’s not the only FSU alumnus to be a part of the film's team to share in the excitement.

Other FSU graduates from the university’s College of Motion Picture Arts who helped with the movie include actor Cecil Jennings as well as producers Landon Kovalick and Hunter Truman.

“It was a couple of years of a lot of work that came together in a way that we’re proud of,” said 29-year-old Truman, a West Palm Beach, Florida native who also graduated in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. “The chance to see it as it’s intended to be seen — in a large theater with an excited audience — is the best that it gets for filmmakers.”

Following the world premiere at the festival, the film team hopes for the movie to get good reviews in order for it to be distributed for additional showings.

“We’re not totally sure where the film will end up, but it will build up momentum from the premiere to hopefully get out there,” Leary said.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU alum's 'Footnotes' film selected for a world premiere showcase