LAKE ELMO, Minn. — A local filmmaker is paying homage to a beloved drive-in movie theater by, what else, screening a movie.
On Tuesday, Justin Atkinson of Justin Films will screen ”Bobby’s Intermission” at the Woodbury 10 Theatre. And while the movie – filmed at the Vali-Hi Drive-In in Lake Elmo – already premiered to a trio of sold-out shows last fall, Tuesday’s screening will benefit Basic Needs in Cottage Grove.
“They just do so much, and there’s so much need right now in our communities, and I just wanted to do something to give back to this wonderful organization,” Atkinson said.
But Atkinson also notes the movie will do more than give back to his community, it allows him to come full circle with his own fascination with film, by celebrating an important chapter in both movie – and local – history.
‘It’s a love letter’
As a child growing up in Woodbury, Atkinson remembers well his frequent visits to the Vali-Hi Drive-In just down the road. He also remembers how it planted seeds for what would become a career in video production and, eventually, filmmaking.
“My mom took me here all the time when I was growing up. And I’ll never forget when I saw ‘Jurassic Park’ up on that screen when I was just a kid, and it changed my life. It made me want to make movies,” he said.
In 2022, Atkinson embarked on doing just that, by casting local actors and shooting “Bobby’s Intermission” amid the drive-in’s last days before the theater permanently closed.
“It’s about a young man named Bobby who dreams of being a filmmaker. But he thinks he can do everything himself, doesn’t think he needs any help. And one day while he tries to make his first short film, he breaks his camera. And so to pay for it to get it fixed, he takes a job here, at the Vali-Hi Drive-In Theater. And that’s where he meets other people his age who help him make his short film,” Atkinson said, adding the character also ends up learning “the value of friendship.”
It's a plot Atkinson believes resonates with both filmmaker and audience.
“I think now especially with everything we’ve gone through in the world the last few years with COVID and everything, I think people just want to connect. They want to feel those friendships again, and those real relationships and those genuine connections again,” Atkinson said.
Plot aside, Atkinson also believes the audience appreciates how the film captures every aspect of a beloved part of the community.
“You’ll see every square inch of the Vali-Hi Drive-In theater because it’s a love letter to it,” he said.
And that’s why the filmmaker – who’s also a new father – feels like he’s come full circle, personally and professionally.
“My son is a year old. And one of the inspirations to make my movie was because I know someday he’s going to grow up and have a dream of his own. And I want to be able to tell him, ‘Hey look, you can make that happen, your dad made that happen. He made a movie, and you can do whatever you want to do as well,’” Atkinson said before adding: “I thought a lot about him while I was making my movie.”
The future of ‘Bobby’s Intermission’
Those interested in seeing “Bobby’s Intermission” for themselves will need to attend Tuesday’s screening. Atkinson doesn’t plan to release his film to any streaming services. He is, however, planning future screenings both locally and at a drive-in theater in Utah.
“If it does well there, I’m hoping I can get it into every drive-in theater across the country. That’s my goal,” he said.
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