Emerging Filmmakers Showcase: ‘The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro’
April 16 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Lindsay’s second Emerging Filmmakers Showcase in April is a genre-mashing comedy that was made on a grander scaler than most locally shot independent films.
The Haunting of Dom Pedro was conceived and written by Joe Fishel, of Butler, and directed by Don Swanson, of Ebensburg. This film takes several film genres, from supernatural mysteries to rom coms, and combines them to form a modern-day fairytale about a group of high school Latin American history students who quickly regret their decision to not fully appreciate the Liberator of Brazil.
Fishel and Swanson’s film will have its Pittsburgh premiere at The Lindsay on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m. The 83-minute screening will be immediately followed by a filmmaker Q&A. Tickets are free, and we recommend RSVPing via the sign-up form below due to space limitations.
“The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro is a fun, quirky movie that is very entertaining,” says Fishel. “It has been described as a Scooby-Doo movie without the big dog.”
Dom Pedro was a Portuguese prince who became Brazil’s first ruler in the early 19th century. Fishel, a longtime staple of this region’s film industry, conceived of The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro after thinking about the worst-case scenario if high school students ignored their teacher’s plea to take their studies seriously.
That initial idea evolved into a family-friendly romp that blends comedy, mystery, light horror, romance, teen shenanigans, martial arts, crime capers, historical drama, musicals—and even Bigfoot.
Filming took place across six Western Pennsylvania counties and one Ohio county. Dom Pedro was edited by Jamie Lockhart, of Bellevue, and stars Rachel O’Day, of Saltsburg, and Madeline Schlichter, of Indiana Township, as high-schoolers “Jayden and Kayden.”
One particularly unique aspect of Dom Pedro‘s production was its designation as a SAG-AFTRA micro-budget feature. That program is available to projects made for $20,000 or less, and it gave Fishel and company the green light to increase the scope of their modestly budgeted endeavor.
“There were more than 160 people as part of the cast and crew, and more than 150 of them appeared in front of the camera,” explains Fishel. “That’s a huge number for a locally filmed indie.”
There are so many familiar places and faces in Dom Pedro that filmgoers will likely recognize at least one location or actor. Fishel believes “there is something for everyone in the movie,” and he can’t wait to share his team’s hard work with Lindsay audiences.
“The Lindsay Theater is a dynamic facility and a hub for the local indie film scene in Pittsburgh,” says Fishel. “The Haunting of Prince Dom Pedro should look terrific on The Lindsay’s big screen.”
