2009-12-30 03:29:12

WINDRIDER – Now Playing: “Parking Garage”

Filed under: John Priddy, Windrider
Posted by: John

It’s Not Where You Park That Truly Matters …

by John Priddy

We are proud to present the fourth Windy Wednesday film in our Windrider WinterFest series: “Parking Garage” by Justin Lazernik. With this highly acclaimed, 9-minute, Windrider-rated-L (some mild language) film, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, one filled with joy, peace, hope, love and laughter.

(Click on image to view film.)

“Sometimes losing your way is the starting point for the whole adventure.”
- Monika Moreno, director, Angelus Student Film Festival

As we close out 2009, we are reminded that many people are bruised and battered. Many have lost much this year: jobs, businesses, retirement accounts, relationships … . The good news is that the upside of losing something is the created opportunity to seek and find. In fact, we might discover something else — something we didn’t even know we were looking for. Something better, deeper, and more meaningful.

A Brief Synopsis:

At first glance, the storyline of “Parking Garage” seems fairly straightforward — one to which most of us can relate. Haven’t we all forgotten where we left our vehicle in one of those gigantic parking structures? In Lazernik’s film, Blair, a young woman who has lost her car goes through the common stresses involved in searching for something lost. And while she initially encounters a few malicious parking attendants who throw her off course (Some of us have been there too … let’s talk.), she soon meets “the Moses of lost cars.” He, in turn, introduces her to a community of people who have permanently lost their vehicles — and now live in the parking garage. (If you’ve encountered something like this, don’t admit it to anyone.)

My Personal Thoughts on the Film:

Writer/director Lazernik not only makes us laugh at the outlandish escapades of his characters and their circumstances; he also prods us — ever so gently — to ask ourselves these questions: What have we lost? Where has it gone? How do we find it? These are truly great Windrider discussion starters, and even better “resolution fodder” to be considered as we head into a New Year.

“Parking Garage” serves as a fresh reminder of how rarely we see a film packed with deep, meaningful themes shot through a comedic lens. Lazernik’s storytelling gift might be missed by some, but will undoubtedly be appreciated by Windrider fans. Our audiences always come prepared to look a bit deeper, and always expecting to enter into a “conversation” initiated by a young filmmaker’s work.

Filmmaker Bio:

Justin Lazernik was born and raised in Cooper City, Florida. His passion for filmmaking started in a high school video production class led by an inspiring teacher. Lazernik then attended Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts (“Parking Garage” was his thesis film). He recently relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a filmmaking career.

Screenings, Honors:

“Parking Garage” was selected as a Live Action finalist at the 2009 Angelus Student Film Festival. It has screened at the Audience Choice Film Festival, the Sidewalk Moving Pictures festival and the Dragon Con Film Festival, and was a finalist at the U.S.A. Film Festival’s Short Film and Video competition in Dallas, Texas.

Click here to view film.

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