New West, an Arkansas-made film, will premiere on Thursday, Aug. 25 at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater. The premiere will be hosted by the Arkansas Cinema Society as part of its Filmmaker Spotlight series, as announced by ACS. 

 

Tickets to the show are available online, and will cost $10. 

 

The film is 45 minutes long and was shot in Little Rock. New West is described by Jordan Mears, director, as an irreverent comedy with surprises and a story of friendship and forgiveness. Co-written by Mears and Coty Greenwood, who also scored the film – the production of this film began in July 2019. Local actors are featured in the film, including Greenwood, Daniel Lee Harris, Ryan Heumier, Mat Jordan, Zach Keast and Karina Martinez. 

Jordan Mears on the set of New West.

 

“As someone who has loved movies since childhood and studied filmmaking in college, I am excited to see this project screened amid friends, family and other film buffs,” Mears said. “It has been a labor of love, coming together during weeknights, weekends and time off from th cast and crew’s day jobs, and we had a lot of fun in the process.” 


The Arkansas Filmmaker Spotlight Series showcases Arkansas-made and Arkansas-connected films, as an effort by the ACS. 

 

“Arkansas Cinema Society loves to showcase up-and-coming and established filmmakers across the state,” Kathryn Tucker, Executive Director of ACS, said. “We are very excited to premiere New West as part of our Arkansas Filmmaker Spotlight and we look forward to following Jordan and Coty’s careers.” 

Behind the scenes of New West.

 

New West has garnered nominations for Best Comedy and Best Western in the 2022 IndieX Film Fest and has been accepted into the 2022 Austin Action Fest & Market. The film has been submitted to more than 40 film festivals to date, including SModcastle, Kevin Smith’s Film Festival and Midwest Weird Fest. 

 

Mears and Greenwood both attended the University of Central Arkansas. Mears has won several Best Editing and Best Directing awards and Greenwood recently created an award-winning short film: Throwers

 

For more information regarding the ACS or the Arkansas Filmmaker Spotlight Series, visit the ACS website.

 

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