Holliston Native's Film Chosen for the Boston International Film Festival

Robert Meyer has come a long way from his early childhood days of roaming the streets of Holliston armed with a camcorder.

The Holliston native will travel to Boston for the screening of his film “Kasumi” at the Boston International Film Festival on Friday, April 22.

As a senior at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts, Meyer is majoring in film with a concentration on game studies and design. He first began working on “Kasumi” his junior year of college.

“Kasumi” is a 12.5-minute short film that Meyer wrote, directed, co-produced and edited. The film chronicles the struggles of a man named Denny as he pushes forward after the death of his girlfriend. Click here to view the film’s trailer.

“I really wasn’t expecting it to be that great. I didn’t expect to do a film senior year, so I gave it my all. But I never thought it’d get into any festivals,” said Meyer. “'Kasumi’ is a Japanese word that translates to ‘haze’ or ‘mist,’ which was how I pictured the main character’s state of mind.”

It took roughly 18 months to put the film together, according to Meyer. Working on a budget of $3,000 - most of which Meyer raised through generous friends and family -, the crew shot the film in Port Washington on Long Island, using the home of an extended family member of Meyer’s.

This was Meyer’s first experience with screenwriting for a longer film. “I really enjoyed writing, but the editing process was very revealing - stuff that seemed strong on paper did not seem so in the editing room. The first cut was over 15 minutes long, but the final cut was under 13 minutes,” Meyer said.

His film has already won awards in Producing and Production Design at the New Visions and Voices Film Festival, received an honorable mention in the Best Student Film Category at the Metropolitan Film Festival of New York and was an official selection in the Litchfield Hills Film Festival.

“Kasumi” will be shown at the Boston International Film Festival in the narrative short film category as one of only 100 films chosen for screening. Although his film has already appeared in multiple festivals, his participation in a Q & A following the film’s 6 p.m. screening will be his first. But the 21-year-old isn’t concerned.

For those wishing to become involved in films, Meyer recommends reading as many scripts as possible and to watch many movies. And in his opinion, camera direction and editing are the most important to learn.

While at , Meyer was a huge Tim Burton fan. But these days, he considers Hayao Miyazaki, director of the Japanese anime film "Spirited Away," his greatest influence.

After Meyer graduates in a month, he hopes to secure a job with either a production and post-editing company or a gaming design company. And he is still waiting to hear from four more festivals in which he entered “Kasumi.”

Come out to support Meyers for his film’s screening Friday night at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12. Visit the Boston International Film Festival’s website for more information.