Print edition: 
Former Wichitan Lee M. Whitman will be in Wichita next week for the Midwest premiere of his feature debut, " War Stories." It's being presented by the Tallgrass Film Association and will screen at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Orpheum.
Whitman grew up in Derby and graduated from Wichita State University, where he received last year's One to Watch award from the Elliott School of Communication. He's also a former Tallgrass Film Festival programmer and now lives in Washington, D.C., where he writes and directs TV spots for the Pentagon (he won a regional Emmy award last year for his work).
Whitman wrote, directed and photographed "War Stories," which had its world premiere last fall at the Asheville Film Festival in Asheville, N.C.
The story follows Derby teen Tim Curtright (Michael Brenton Gordon), who grew up believing that his father died while fighting in the Gulf War. But after being assigned a research project at school, he discovers that his father didn't die in the conflict and goes in search of the truth.
He contends with a strict, secretive mother (Danielle Wolverton), who doesn't offer any information. Aided by his girlfriend (Sara Hammond) and best friend (Mark Ayesh), Tim soon finds himself wrapped up in a mystery, and becomes obsessed with finding his father.
Whitman says the script was somewhat inspired by his childhood.
"They say 'write what you know,' " he said in a phone conversation earlier this week. "Being a military brat, I had a few memories of my father going off to fight."
Made with an all-local cast and crew, "War Stories" was certainly an ambitious endeavor. Featuring 30 actors, 200 extras and more than 35 locations, the film was shot during the summer of 2006. Post-production work would go on for two years (Whitman says there are about 150 digital effects shots).
The film flirts with sci-fi overtones, which may be due to Whitman's fondness for fantastical movies as a child, or his love of "The Wizard of Oz."
"I watched it constantly until the tape broke in first grade," Whitman said.
Only fitting, then, that his first film was made and takes place in Kansas. "War Stories" features lots of Wichita locales (other scenes were shot in Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C.).
It's an impressive production, with a strong musical score. Whitman's generous use of dolly shots and Tom Mittlestadt's production design add to the film's sleek tone.
There are some story points, however, that don't exactly ring true (like newspaper archives being altered, for instance, or that Tim's mother doesn't seem to age). But they're small leaps of faith that serve the bigger picture, which turns out to be a heartfelt story of acceptance.
And though some secondary performances might be slight, Whitman's lead actor shines. Gordon gives a nicely naturalistic performance and has an engaging presence. Ayesh is also particularly enjoyable with nice comedic timing as Tim's gay friend.
Whitman and some of the cast and crew will participate in a Q&A session after the screening. Tickets are $10. For more information, go to www.uncheckablefilms.com.
Indie invasion — All right, independent film fans, here's your chance. A slew of independent titles are coming to Wichita, so go see them while you can.
The very funny " City Island," starring Andy Garcia (which won the audience award at the Tribeca Film Festival), and Nicole Holofcener's smart, sensitive " Please Give" (which won acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival) are now showing at the Warren Theatre East.
Other upcoming titles are (dates subject to change):
* Friday — " Harry Brown" stars Michael Caine as an elderly ex-serviceman who avenges his best friend's murder with his own form of justice.
* July 9 — " Mother and Child" is a Toronto and Sundance Film Festival hit starring Annette Bening (who's generating Oscar buzz) in a drama centered around three women: a 50- year-old health care worker, the daughter she gave up for adoption 35 years ago, and an African-American looking to adopt a child of her own.
* July 16 — " Secret in Their Eyes" from Spain, which earlier this year won the Oscar for best foreign language film, follows a man who wants to solve a murder that has never been solved.
* July 23 — " Cyrus," another Sundance breakout, finds "mumblecore" low-budget heroes the Duplass brothers moving into the (somewhat) mainstream with Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and John C. Reilly in a comedy about a man who falls in love with a woman whose son is alarmingly overprotective.
* July 23 — " Micmacs" marks the return of visually inventive director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Amelie," "The City of Lost Children") in a tale about a man who devises an intricate plan to destroy a weapons manufacturer.
If you go
'WAR STORIES'
What: Screening of feature film by former Wichitan Lee M. Whitman
Where: Orpheum Theatre, First and Broadway
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
How much: $10, discounts for students and seniors available.
