Fort Wayne-Born Filmmaker Releases Glitter & Doom At Cinema Center
A filmmaker originally from Ft. Wayne, Cory Krueckeberg makes his Cinema Center debut later this month with the musical romance Glitter & Doom. The Homestead grad’s film opens at Cinema Center on April 19th, followed by a Q&A session featuring director Tom Gustafson and Krueckeberg, who wrote the screenplay. Ahead of the event, he noted the theater’s role in bringing art to the community: “I think it’s a testament to the deep roots of the arts organizations in Ft. Wayne that Cinema Center is so interesting and so on the cutting edge of what is out.”
A love-at-first-sight romance, Glitter & Doom centers upon a circus performer, Glitter (Alex Diaz), and a musician, Doom (Alan Cammish), and uses hits of the Indigo Girls to capture the couple’s spark and the struggles they face while pursuing their dreams, especially after Glitter has the chance to run away to join a circus in Paris. Also featuring Lea DeLaria, Tig Notaro, Peppermint, Ming-Na Wen, Missi Pyle, and the Indigo Girls, the film uses innovative song-and-dance numbers to tell a love story inspired by the filmmakers’ own.
The film depicts an “unapologetic, joyous romance,” according to Krueckeberg. He says that although the heavier themes LGBTQ+ films often highlight are important, Glitter & Doom provides a respite through fantastical locations and musical numbers. “I hope people leave feeling some joy and some hope about their lives and their futures,” he said.
Recently, studios have been reluctant to advertise musicals as such, but according to Krueckeberg, the musical form elevates cinematic experiences: “There’s so much emotion and catharsis you can get from musical storytelling that you can’t get from dialogue alone.”
Glitter & Doom features Indigo Girls’ songs in a jukebox musical that evokes their cultural importance and the joy of a particular time in life. “They are heroes of mine and trailblazers for causes and for queer identity and just the sheer artistry of their music,” Krueckeberg told me. “It’s exciting to be able to tell a story inspired by us, using music that was so incredibly important to us at that time and still important to us now.” The duo’s music has remerged into the zeitgeist after being featured in Barbie and a documentary about their work, It’s Only Life After All (also at Cinema Center).
Glitter & Doom includes a new song, “What We Wanna Be,” written by Indigo Girls for the movie. Krueckeberg explains, “It’s an amazing anthem for being true to who you are, and I think that encapsulates the movie’s themes beautifully. So if nothing else, I hope you come away humming that song.”
The initial release of Glitter & Doom at Cinema Center is April 19-21. It runs 116 minutes and is not rated.
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