They’re only, like, two of the coolest stars ever.
Aaron Ruell and Efren Ramirez.
Who?
You know, Kip and Pedro.
The two new stars will be at Central Washington University Saturday to talk about the filming of “Napoleon Dynamite” and how young aspiring filmmakers can succeed on a small budget.
The film, created by a band of recent college graduates, began as one most people hadn’t heard of. But after its release to DVD, it gained momentum and is now regularly quoted by a following of young fans.
Ruell and Ramirez began touring campuses to talk about the film, but over time that morphed into a conversation about how to make films, Ramirez said Tuesday.
“Students wanted to find out about it … is it possible I could do that? I feel it’s necessary to tell them you can do whatever you want to do in your life and to go after it,” he said.
That’s exactly what the film’s director, Jared Hess, 24, did in 2004. Hess, along with a cast of unknowns, went to his hometown of Preston, Idaho, and in only 22 days filmed the story of an awkward high school student and his friends. The film cost $400,000 to make. On it’s opening weekend, it grossed $116,666. By the end of 2004, it had earned $44 million and a cult status with a generation of American teens and young adults.
Prior to “Napoleon Dynamite,” Ramirez had appeared in several other films and television shows, including “ER,” “Judging Amy” and “Boston Public.”
Ruell’s time in front of the camera had been limited, but behind it he has made a name for himself. He was the only filmmaker at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival to have two movies showing – “Everything’s Gone Green,” and “Mary,” both which he wrote and directed. He’s also an acclaimed photographer with an Internet site of his work, http://aruell.com.
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