Alumnus to show film at Cannes

The work of USD alumnus Justin Franklin has been accepted into the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The festival is set to be held May 12 to May 23 in Cannes, France. Franklin will be showing his short film "Lying Next to Larry" to many prominent filmmakers.
"Lying Next to Larry" is described as a black comedy that chronicles the short relationship between two quadriplegics residing in the same hospital room. The two main characters, Larry and David, are two very different men, as is portrayed through their interactions with the hospital staff and each other.
While the film is only 10 minutes long, the audience is permitted to see these men through the progression of their very brief relationship as Larry describes uplifting events he has seen from his window in hopes of helping his hospital mate escape from his "morally confused" outlook on life.
Originally meant to be a serious drama based on a religious fable that Franklin learned when he was younger, the film transformed into something different with a deeper message. "This film will leave a large imprint on those who can appreciate an unfortunate circumstance followed by dark humor and unexpected events," Franklin said.
Beginning in April 2008, the process of making the film and seeing it accepted into Cannes has taken two years, requiring months of inspiration and hard work. However, the path to Cannes was not without its disappointment. Upon finishing the film last September, Franklin submitted "Lying Next to Larry" to 20 different film festivals around the world, including Cannes and Sundance. It was rejected by several of them.
"I felt that I had dedicated a year and a half of my life to this project and hit a point where I didn't know what to do with it, so I posted the film online and decided that if it got into a festival, great. If not, then forget about it and move on to the next one," Franklin said.
    Nevertheless, his acceptance into Cannes was a welcomed surprise.
In terms of training and education for his filmmaking, Franklin has accumulated experience through various platforms.
Starting with a soap commerical he directed in high school, Franklin's interest in the field continued and he took a video production course in college. While at USD he acquired  various internships, such as one at Obelisk Productions, which allowed him to read scripts and write coverage for the company.
After graduation he took internships at production companies like Tollin/Robbins and Miller/Gough before working in the writer's office for the hit CW series "Smallville."
Franklin found, however, that the making of his short film provided more education than anticipated.
"In a way, I consider this short as being my own film school," Franklin said. "With little to no guidance I wrote, directed and produced a film. I'm proud to say that."
Besides looking forward to Cannes, Franklin is currently writing a script for a feature length film with a similar theme to his current film"Lying Next to Larry." He also said that he hopes to continue writing and directing. Franklin's  film can be seen at lyingnexttolarry.com.