Young Clayton filmmaker goes to Cannes

When Maxwell Renner was shooting short films of his action figures back when he was a kid, he probably didn’t realize that by the ripe old age of 19 he’d be walking the Red Carpet of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, swimming the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean and being proposed to by an elderly French woman. Or seeing Jake Gyllenhaal.

But as he’s learned in his short yet illustrious career, anything can happen if you work hard and follow your passion.

Renner is a 2014 Clayton Valley Charter High School graduate and a member of the Clayton Arts Academy. He is currently a Television and Film Media and Theater Performance double major at San Diego State University, and has already done things in his career that would make many longtime film and television veterans cry with envy.

With friends from college, he entered the Campus Movie Fest. “We had one week to make a short film. Seven days to write, cast, film and edit. So we did. The film, called ‘A Couple Feet More, ‘ was a great success at the competition,” Renner says. “We won the prestigious Jury Award, and our film was selected to show in Hollywood because of that. We also won the Fan Choice award, which put us in the running for a $10,000 prize. In the realm of short films, that’s very fortunate.”

Renner was on the set of another short film, this one about a school shooting, when one of his colleagues from “A Couple Feet More” shared the news that the film had been invited to be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival and they were invited to accompany it.

The experience, he said, was “absolutely magnificent . . .  There were men bustling around in tuxedos, women in gowns, models, actors, directors and writers, and the town was just hopping.”

At the same time, there were other young filmmakers in similar stages of their careers as Renner, soaking in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For Renner, though, it may not be once-in-a-lifetime. ‘I wouldn’t mind coming back.”

The reviews for “A Couple Feet More” were as positive as the experience, garnering praise such as “original,” “refreshing,” and “told a story that needed to be told.”

In a mere five minutes, Renner wrote a film that explored the passions of true love, the joy of pregnancy, the sadness of its loss and the ultimate joy of adoption. The film doesn’t use traditional screen shots, but instead focuses on feet — hence the title.

“It’s not a typical lighthearted short film, but it does have a lot of happiness in it,” he says.
And what did he take home from the experience?

“I came back from the festival with a renewed sense of purpose in regards to my craft, myriad business cards, and a big middle finger ready to thrust upon anyone who doubts anybody on anything.”

The film short, “A Couple Feet More” can be viewed on http://savedonwd.wdc.com/contests/showentry/1810349
Viewers have until June 15 to vote on the $10,000 short film prize, and may vote once per day.