Filmmakers Paul Hood (left) and Wallace McKelvey (right) in front of Midtown Cinema

A new film showcases the diversity in Harrisburg and the interconnected stories of its residents.

“River City Stories,” a film by Harrisburg residents Paul Hood and Wallace McKelvey, will premiere at the Midtown Cinema on July 19 and 20 as a part of the Harrisburg Fringe Festival. 

While it functions as an hour-long story, “River City Stories” is a collection of four shorter films, each telling fictional stories based on real life in Harrisburg. 

“It’s comedic; it’s dramatic,” McKelvey said. “It runs the gamut of emotions and experiences in this city.” 

Hood, a playwright, and McKelvey, a journalist and filmmaker, first met at a social function after McKelvey moved to Harrisburg over a decade ago. Although they discussed partnering to work on a film together, it took the pandemic to make it happen. 

“Everything that was holding us back from collaborating melted away during COVID,” McKelvey said. “We had full schedules previously, but all of it got canceled. That gave us space to hang out.” 

They began meeting, socially distanced, and developed the concept of “River City Stories.” 

Through a process of writing and revising, they wrote the scripts for the short movies that now comprise the film.

“It came out of us talking about what we’ve experienced in Harrisburg and what we’d like to experience in Harrisburg,” Hood said. 

While the stories are fictional, they are deeply rooted in real-life experiences, according to McKelvey.

“It’s based on what was going on in the community,” he said.  

To capture a sense of authenticity and reality, McKelvey and Hood allow humor and tragedy to coexist in their films.  

“We’re showing different perspectives, viewpoints and cultures, but hopefully keeping it entertaining as well, and making you laugh here and there,” Hood said. “We need that, in order to deal with this heavy stuff.” 

(From right) Wallace McKelvey, Paul Hood and actors on the set of “River City Stories”

A strength of McKelvey’s and Hood’s collaboration is the differences in their backgrounds, on both a professional and personal level.  

“The differences between us are kind of obvious and surface level,” McKelvey said. “I’m a journalist, and he’s a playwright. I’m white, and he’s Black. I’m gay, and he’s straight. We come from different worlds and have different vantage points, so we get to bring that together to this collaboration.” 

McKelvey’s and Hood’s differences help them tell a story of diverse characters. Their goal is not to “write villains and heroes,” according to McKelvey, but rather to tell a story weaving together a range of well-developed characters from different backgrounds and cultures.  

“It’s about where these characters collide,” McKelvey said. “Even when characters make questionable choices, it’s all about what’s behind that. Asking, ‘how did they get to this point?’” 

The film also showcases the variety of neighborhoods in Harrisburg. 

“We want to peel back the layers on the city,” Hood said. “People only think of downtown and Midtown. They don’t know about Allison Hill or South Side, or even Uptown. We want to show all these different places with different people.” 

The cast consists of local actors, as well as both Hood and McKelvey, who star in the film.  

“Paul and I set out to tell the stories we’ve never seen anyone tell and go to the places few people show. We hope that every single person can identify with something in the River City,” said McKelvey. 

Tickets for “River City Stories” can be purchased for $10 at Harrisburg Fringe Festival’s website or at the Midtown Cinema box office at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg.

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