Sundance Film Festival to show movie from South Lake Tahoe filmmaker

From South Lake Tahoe to the Sundance Film Festival, a movie by local film maker Manuel Crosby is making a surprising journey after being created over coffee with a friend at the kitchen table.

Crosby was in his hometown of Valley Springs on a break from USC Film School and hanging out with his friend Darren Knapp. They got to taking about used cars, and what does the new owner really know about the car’s history. In just a few months the two had completed the script to “First Date,” a thriller, dark comedy. crime movie meets high school coming-of-age romance.

“It’s a wild one-night adventure,” said Crosby of his movie. “If you liked True Romance, you’ll like this.”

Crosby, who moved to South Lake Tahoe in 2016 has been working on First Date since then. He and Knapp used local talent from both Tahoe and Valley Springs in the movie, and tapped into their list of friends, acquaintances, and collaborators to create 103 minutes of movie.

Mike, a high school kid with a crush, finally summons the courage to ask Kelsey out on a date. With a date, but no wheels, Mike borrows money and gets duped into buying a clunker -65 Chrysler. Although many a first date goes awry, Mike’s swiftly descends into a surreal misadventure that finds hi inexplicably targeted by a pair of cops, a criminal gang, and a vengeful cat lady – with all roads leading to a showdown. – Introduction of movie on the Sundance Film Festival program.

Crosby and Knapp met in Valley Springs while working at the Calaveras County public access television station. Even though he studied at USC, Crosby said both he and Knapp come from a do-it-yourself, learn by doing background and built the movie from the ground up. Their friends joined them on the adventure with their own expertise in making films.

One of those is South Tahoe High School graduate Ryan Quinn Adams. Adams has been on the stage at both the high school and Lake Tahoe Community College, and now has about 50 acting credits to his name. The married father of two commutes between Los Angeles and their home in Gardnerville, with many auditions under his belt.

Even though Adams and Crosby met years before First Date, and the part of “Vince” was written with him in mind, Adams said he had to audition. His character is looking for the car and the group he is with have something vested and will “do just about anything for it.”

“It was a lot of fun to make this movie,” said Adams. He said there was a family feel to making the movie, and they had a lot of rehearsals which he said is not normal when making an independent film.

“We all put our heart and soul into this, and it shows in the final product,” said Adams. “I am really happy for Manual. His first feature film is accepted into Sundance - it does not happen very often.”

Crosby also had fun making the movie.

“I really enjoyed it, I got a lot out of it,” said Crosby. “The most important thing is to just make movies as practice is where you learn the most.”

Even though just 28-years-old, Crosby has been working around cameras for years. He has been getting that practice through making commercials and using his cinematography skills. Crosby’s love of filmmaking started when he saw Star Wars with his dad when he was five-years-old.

“I was so transported by the experience it never left my mind,” said Crosby. “When they started making the prequels, it got me really interested.” He said the whole process of special effects, acting, filming got his interest, especially by the time he turned 12 and found out he could make a living by making movies.

“I have had some great mentors, good friends that I could make the movies with,” said Crosby. Besides Knapp and Adams, South Lake Tahoe friends Darrell Miller and Joe Barnett worked on the movie.

Now that movie is on its way to the Sundance Film Festival. Knapp and Crosby hope that a distributor will see it and want to buy it so it gets to the big screen. They share directing, producing, screenwriting duties while Crosby is the cinematographer, editor and does some of the music.

The movie will be unveiled during the virtual Sundance Film Festival on January 31 at 6:00 p.m. Everyone can see it from the comfort of their living room. Tickets can be bought HERE, starting at $15. The following night there will be drive-in showing of the film in San Francisco, but tickets for that went quickly and it is sold out.