Premiere Screening of Local Film This Saturday

Some Chelmsfordian faces and familiar places will be seen on the big screen this Saturday at the premiere of the film “The Journey” at the

The original drama, written and directed by Fred Barzyk, was influenced by the “Twilight Zone” and shot in and around Chelmsford and Lowell using a local crew of volunteer actors and actresses.

“I wanted to see if I could put together an all volunteer film group and make film for less than $500 out of pocket,” said Barzyk. “And we did it.”              

Fred Barzyk was founder and first director of WGBH New Television Workshop in 1967. He has accomplished much during his career in broadcast television, receiving such awards as the Venice Film Award, three Emmys, two ACE awards and the George Foster Peabody Award from the University of Georgia. Barzyk now works with Chelmsford TeleMedia, a non-profit organization providing public-access television for the town.    

“The Journey” took nine months to create from start to finish and is 17 minutes and 30 seconds long—about the same as a half hour television show without the commercials. Thirty musicians from UMass Lowell donated their time to record music for the movie, adding a dramatic effect to multiple scenes.  

“The actors and crew members did a terrific job creating this little thriller of a drama,” said Barzyk.

Also being shown at the premiere will be Dan LeBlanc’s tongue-in-cheek documentary of the “Making of The Journey” that will include bloopers and behind the scenes looks at the filming process. Barzyk plans to hand out free DVDs of the movie and behind the scenes footage to those that attend.

"The Journey” will also be broadcast on Chelmsford TeleMedia on Jan. 29 from noon until midnight on Comcast, Channel 10, and Verizon, Channel 37.

Barzyk and his crew are already hard at work on their next film and hope to continue to build their Chelmsford group.

“We’ve started writing another script. We learned from the first one what we can and cannot do. We want to keep building,” said Barzyk.

Chelmsford TeleMedia will present the premiere screening of Fred Barzyk’s original drama, “The Journey,” on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts. The event is open to the public and admission is free.