Piper Freestone, a young lady from Minburn, Iowa, is a Senior education major at the University of Northern Iowa. She is also a gifted actress that leads a very talented cast in a new romantic comedy “The Moving On Phase,” an independent film set in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa directed by Don Tjernagel.
“We really searched to find someone to play the lead in this,” stated Matt Lee Ingebritson, Executive Producer. “We called the theater programs at three local universities and was told that none of their students had any interest in acting in film. We also tried to get actresses from the local community theaters, but we did not hear back from any of them.”
The producers ended up casting someone from a previous film that they had procured. Piper Freestone was cast based on a small role that she played in their last feature film “Love Struck Sick.” Freestone was a first-time actress with no former training or experience in the craft. The producers decided to take a chance on her in the new movie based on the way she performed her small scene in “Love Struck Sick.”
“Piper was one of the most pleasant surprises as we filmed The Moving On Phase,” stated Skott Green, who is one of the cinematographers and wrote the score and much of the soundtrack for the film. “Piper is a natural actress and she should definitely pursue other film roles. She is very believable in this movie and I think people will relate to her character.”
“I had never been a lead in anything before and really had no experience,” stated Freestone. “I had heard that Don is pretty intimidating. I got there on my first day and it was so low key and Don was nothing but helpful! He was fun to work with and did everything to make everyone feel comfortable.”
Tjernagel and crew were recently surprised when “The Moving On Phase” won the prestigious “Best Romantic Comedy” award in the Los Angeles Film Awards competition.
“The Moving On Phase” will have its premiere night open to the public at the Marcus Crossroads Cinema in Waterloo, Iowa on Thursday, February 13th at 7:00pm.
