INDIANAPOLIS - People swarmed around director and Marion native Rusty Gorman before the showing of Gorman's movie Home of the Giants.

Gorman said he was excited that so many people and Marion residents came to watch the film.

"It looks like there's a lot of cars out there," he said. "There are quite a few people here from Marion, which means Marion is supporting the movie, and that's exciting."

The movie, inspired in part by Gorman's experiences in Marion, showed at 3 p.m. Saturday at the AMC Clearwater Crossing movie theater in Castleton as part of the annual Heartland Film Festival.

Many of Gorman's friends, including his former high school tennis coach Bill Beekman, were there to support the director.

"Rusty meant a lot to me," Beekman said. "... He's just the kind of guy I felt really close to. I'm sure (the movie) will be exciting because Rusty always wants things to be just right."

Even though Gorman had people all around him giving him support, the director said he was nervous about showing the film to the audience.

"There's always the technical consideration with showing it in a different movie theater," he said. "You worry about how it will sound and how it will look. Then there's the reaction. You're showing it to the general public as opposed to just family and friends."

Gorman thought the audience would enjoy the show, but he didn't want to make any predictions beforehand.

By the looks of the packed auditorium, people were eager to see the film. Right before the show started, Gorman stood before the large audience and thanked some friends, as well as some of the actors in the movie. When the movie began and the director credit came onto the screen, audience members clapped loudly.

Thunderous claps rang throughout the auditorium once the movie was finished, too. After the credits ended, Gorman stood once again in front of the audience.

This time, however, the star of the movie, Haley Joel Osment, joined him. Audience members had the opportunity to ask the director and star questions during a 15-minute Q&A session.

Osment said it was an honor to work with Gorman, especially since he's interested in directing movies, too. Right now, Osment is a student at New York University and is trying to balance acting with school.

"It's been an interesting two years," he said. "It's been a busy time. I actually had midterms this week."

The actor and college student talked about his life at school and the people he has met on campus. He said he is double majoring in history and film.

"I've met great people who represent life on film, and that's what I want to do," he said.

Osment said he decided to act in Home of the Giantsbecause he was so engrossed in the script and how true-to-life the script was.

"(Gorman) certainly remembered all the right things about (teen life)," he said. "Even really good films don't portray teenagers correctly, and this was really accurate."

Osment also said he liked working with his fellow actors.

"We really jelled well in the framework Rusty set up with us," he said.

Gorman said he enjoyed working with Osment as well.

"As a filmmaker, you pursue someone like Haley Joel Osment," he said. "Before Haley, there was no film. He got the film going."

Gorman said some scenes in the movie were filmed in Marion in March 2005. When asked what he would have done differently in making the movie, he said he wished more scenes could have been filmed in Marion. However, finances interfered with that, he said.

"There's a lot of things I'd do differently," he said. "With a low-budget, independent film, there are a lot of concessions and a lot of compromises. I wanted to shoot more in Indiana."

The movie is about a basketball star and his friend who get caught up in a robbery. Gorman said he wanted to shoot more of the movie in Marion in March because that part of the year is cold and dreary. He wanted to show the audience that there isn't much for kids to do in Marion during that time, so maybe that's why the kids engaged in the illegal activity in the film, he said.

Gorman said he is unsure whether the film would be released in Marion, but he's hoping it will be. He should know in three to four weeks, he said.

Marion resident Matt Dubuque, who is a high school friend of Gorman's and plays the assistant coach in the movie, attended the showing Saturday.

"I thought we had a great turnout," he said. "We had a packed house. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. They were all scared at the right time."

Mark Fauser, Gorman's former roommate and director of Marion's Community School of the Arts, came to watch the film and support his friend.

"For me, it was so neat to see his dream come true," he said. "What was neat was seeing the script in its purest form for the first time."

Fauser said the movie sends a good message: not to idolize or worship people, but to do the right thing.

Marion residents Keith and Christy Conner said they thought the movie was amazing.

"It was very intense," Christy Conner said. "I was very engaged."

Keith Conner said he enjoyed the parts of the movie that showed scenes of Marion.

"It made me feel proud to have lived in Marion all my life," he said. "It's so nice that a Marion native can make a difference in Hollywood."

Originally published October 21, 2007

Be sure to read the original article