Originally published January 27, 2011
By Jan Fletcher
DeeDee Ferencz, a native Angeleno and transplant to the Idaho Panhandle, left Southern California in 1994, following an earthquake in which her home sustained significant damage.
“There was lots of screaming and running around because of the earthquake,” she says. However, she’s not talking about the Northridge 6.6 earthquake, on the Richter Scale, that motivated her to leave Southern California. Instead, she’s referring to her time on a movie set, as an extra in Dante’s Peak, a disaster flick filmed on location in Wallace, Idaho, and released in 1997. That earthquake was the result of a fictional volcano that turned the make-believe town of Dante’s Peak into a raging river of glowing lava.
“We didn’t want to live anywhere along the coast because of the earthquake factor,” she says. With friends in Coeur d’Alene, and a husband with a fondness for four distinct seasons, Ferencz moved to Northern Idaho in the mid 1990s, along with her husband, Bill, and the couple’s son.
“We loved it — we loved the beauty of the area,” she says, recalling the experience of discovering “an enormous sense of peace,” and, at the same time, culture shock. “The people were so nice, and I wasn’t used to that. In L.A., politeness kind of falls by the wayside.”
Twenty years earlier, Ferencz had studied screenwriting, but the conception of her son left her little time for other pursuits, as she already had a thriving custom-cake and catering business in Los Angeles. So, she put her love of cinematography on the back burner, she says. Two decades
later, she is back into it again. “I did work on a feature-length screen play, and I still have it — it’s still available — and, I’ve started a second one. It’s been quite a journey.”
She soon discovered she was not the only transplant in North Idaho that also possessed a love of filmmaking.
Karla Petermann moved to Sandpoint, Idaho in 1992 from Phoenix, Ariz. “I’ve always enjoyed movies as a kid,” she says, but it was her job running a corporate travel agency that fueled her interest in the film industry.
While handling the travel arrangements for the filming of “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989),” Petermann was bitten by the film bug. She managed travel arrangements for a couple of other films, prior to moving to Sandpoint. She soon was approached by a group of people in the community that wanted to see a local film industry take root in the Idaho panhandle.
“Initially, it was a coffee klatch,” she says, recounting the formation of the group that launched the Northwest Independent Film and Video Entertainment Society, also known as kNIFVES. It was a chance to help provide networking for folks — a chance for people to learn about jobs [in the film industry],” says Petermann.
Both women soon discovered an enclave of creative people who had previously worked in the California film industry, and who had also decided to call the Inland Northwest home.
“There are a lot of creative people — oh my gosh — that are retired or still working in the film industry,” says Petermann. She’s forged friendships with local residents who have produced Oscar-winning documentaries, following their semi-retirement to the scenic foothills of Idaho. “They are rich sources for kNIFVES to turn to for mentors,” she says.
Petermann says those aspiring to work in the film industry typically get a gig that requires a trip to Southern California, or other locations. “We want them to be able to come back here, and work in this state.”
Ferencz agrees, but says it’s hard convincing people from a small community to embrace the concept of establishing a thriving local film industry in Northern Idaho. “We have some good people — retired people who were from the film industry.”
Ferencz wants to work with others in the community, through kNIFVES, to lure production companies to the area and, as a result, create work for local residents. Petermann says there are already around 75 people active in the effort.
“When Dante’s Peak was filmed in Wallace, the economy just soared. The lookie loos come and bring so much to the community,” says Ferencz. “When the production comes, they need raw materials.” The crew who arrives during a movie shoot shops at the local hardware store, and takes advantage of the area’s recreational opportunities, she says.
Petermann says there’s something special about filmmaking. “It so much fun. It’s a tremendous amount of work, too — taking this idea and turning it into a film is really unique.”
“Times have been rough over the last year or so — ramping up and getting our name out there,” says Ferencz. “I think we’re going to do well. The board members are wonderful and work so tirelessly. An all-volunteer group has to have a passion for what they do.”
She says she’s working on a short film she describes as a “heartwarming vignette about a workaholic dad who realized there’s more to life than making money.”
She’s made some good connections through kNIFVES. “I’ve got it shopped around film festivals. North Idaho really has the capability to make a film.”
kNIFVES is holding a Short Film Screenwriting Contest, and entries will be accepted through March 31. Judges will be presenting prizes to four winners in categories ranging from Grand Prize Winner to Bronze Prize Winner.
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