A short film written and directed by a Mt. Blue High School alumnus is an official selection of the 2018 Maine International Film Festival.

“Elysia” tells the story of a young woman who spends one day in the afterlife trying to reconnect with her mother.

The world premiere of the film was held last Saturday with another showing set for 3:30 p.m. July 21 at the Waterville Opera House. 

“Elysia” was a thesis project by Noah LePage for a class at New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts.

Fellow students from NYU made up the 17-member crew. The film stars Mt. Blue High School student Elysia Roorbach, her mother, Juliet Karelsen, and local talent Robin Lisherness. Other actors are students at NYU. Filming was done last fall in New Sharon and Temple.

“The screening is part of the Maine shorts program,” LePage said during a recent phone interview. “I wanted the world premiere to be in Maine.” 

LePage grew up in New Sharon. He graduated in December from NYU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film and television production. He will soon move from Brooklyn to France.

Trailers for “Elysia” and other works by LePage can be seen at vimeo.com/noahlepage.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net

Noah LePage directs Juliet Karelsen of Temple, middle, and her daughter, Elysia Roorbach, while filming “Elysia” on the banks of the Sandy River in New Sharon last year. The film will be shown 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 21, at the Waterville Opera House during the 2018 Maine International Film Festival. (Submitted photo) 

Six actors, including three locals, plus a crew of 17 last year filmed “Elysia” at locations in New Sharon and Temple for Maine native filmmaker Noah LePage. (Submitted photo)

Elysia Roorbach, a student at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, was cast in filmmaker Noah LePage’s film “Elysia.”  The film will be shown July 21 at the Waterville Opera House during the 2018 Maine International Film Festival. (Submitted photo)