Erie Community College graduate, Matt Lorentz, knows about going the distance. Leaving ECC-South with an Associates in Science Degree in Communications and Media Arts, Matt set out to pursue his dream of making a feature film.

On April 7th 2012, the doors of the Hamburg Palace Theatre on Buffalo Street will open at 1:00 pm for refreshments and live music to entertain the public prior to revealing Matt's first feature film production, B.O.Y.D. Show time is at 3:30 pm. Tickets are $6.

Matt was kind enough to give me and interview about the film he and his team at Idle Entertainment worked four years to complete. When asked where the inspiration for the film came from, Matt said, "Life is full of inspiration. I took my experience from the 2003 blackout in Western New York and turned it into the setting of the film. From there the film continued to grow."

Authenticity was of great importance to Matt. He knew whatever location he chose to shoot the film would have to shut down most, if not all, power for that purpose. Pitching that idea to any business, such as McKinley Mall, seemed like a hard sell. But Matt was pleasantly surprised. "I was shocked. Everything went smoothly. People were excited to be apart of a movie. That’s an advantage to shooting in Buffalo. People aren’t used to guys with cameras asking if they can shoot a movie here. Everybody was into it."

Matt also feels the film serves as a love letter to Buffalo. As a film buff growing up in Western New York, Matt always felt that Buffalo has been unfairly portrayed in the past by Hollywood. "I know the area. I’ve never felt that Buffalo has been represented on film to appear as a cool place to live. And it is. I just wanted to put things in a positive light."

Matt hopes B.O.Y.D’s success reaches farther than notoriety from any film festival. Much like the theme of the movie, he wants to motivate his audience. "I’m thankful for the people I work with and everyone else who made this possible. And at the end of the day, I just hope somebody watches is, and is inspired to go after something they really want to do." To add to Matt’s accomplishments, he won "Best Film" in the Buffalo 48 Hour Film Festival in 2010 for his short, "48 Hours to Live." As a Western New Yorker, I am proud and look forward to his future success. I am certain that Matt’s accomplishments will reach far more than Buffalo, as I’m told his next project is a television production in the reality genre.