It wasn’t exactly the Academy Awards, but Iowa’s version of the red carpet event had a distinctly local flavor this year.
    Greg Schmidt, of Clear Lake, accepted the Best Actor award at the inaugural Midwest Studio Showcase Awards Thursday night at a gala black-tie affair in Lamoni (Graceland College).
    Schmidt, originally of Garner, returned to Iowa in the mid-1970s after studying the film industry in Los Angeles, Miami, New York and London. Among his first local projects was “Michael, My Brother,” the story of his brother, a resident of Opportunity Village in Clear Lake. Through the years he has led summer theater offerings, a “Godspell” production for a local church, and numerous promotional videos and documentaries, including the story of the local men who built the Alaska Highway.
    Aside from filming projects, he continues to produce festivals throughout the Midwest.
    Schmidt explained the awards night in Lamoni was established to honor the most promising TV/film production studio in the region. This year’s recipient went to DAF Studios of Bondurant, Iowa. Special recognition went to producer Joe Leto and director Neil Wells who had recently made three episodes of a pilot TV series for national distribution (“Out of the Static”), a variety of short subject movies, and comedy commercial spoofs. This summer they will be shooting their first full-length feature movie in Iowa.
    At the awards presentation there were seven categories for honors to actors from the 39 nominees who had appeared in the various DAF Studios productions shot over the past 16 months. At the top of the ceremonies, Schmidt was given the overall Best “Ghost Town.”
    In November he played a key supporting role in the up-coming feature-length movie, “Beast of Burden,” shot in Nebraska. Last year he also completed his second on-camera turn as Uncle Blue Shoes (the story guide) in the Bueno Gang Kids most recent movie, “The Good Dentist,” which was shot in Mason City.
    He also has a supporting role in the new feature movie “Haunting Villisca,” which is about an unsolved 1912 Iowa ax-murder case. One of his lines of dialogue is the marquee line on the promotional posters and t-shirts.
    Both “Ghost Town” and “Haunting Villisca” will be screened as Special Showings at the 2nd annual Iowa Independent Film Festival, which will take place in and around Mason City’s The Music Man Square on April 25-27.
    Schmidt appears in all of these productions under his professional acting name, Billy Rogers. He notes he chose the stage name as a combination of his favorites Will Rogers and Roy Rogers, as well as his nickname, Billy, since his middle name is William.
    Schimdt said he is excited to see interest in the film industry growing and providing inspiration in the state.
    “The excitement has motivated me to get some of my projects out of the mothballs,” he said, adding that the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the death of rock and rollers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson is a subject which interests him.
    “I’ve gotten the blessing of Marie Holly to develop a script and I’m looking at actors and trying to determine where to find the money for the project,” he said. Holly’s widow advised him not to be obsessed by the 50-year timeline. Schmidt said he is laying out ideas for the project and could envision a nationally touring musical telling the story of the singers and their final concert at Clear Lake’s Surf Ballroom.
    “It’s a huge undertaking, but an exciting one,” he added.

     Iowans interested in catching the regional premieres of “Haunting Villisca,” “Ghost Town” and 40 other new and intriguing films can get ticket information on the Iowa Independent Film Festival at www.iowaindependentfilmfestival.com [1] or by contacting info@iowaindie.org [2] or by calling 641-424-2852.