By Sharon Aron Baron
A martial arts instructor who uses his free time to write, direct and produce films has released his first-ever feature-length film, and the screening will be at Tamarac’s Paradigm Cinema.
Fort Lauderdale resident Steve Belanger, 22, has released the movie “I Wanna Be A Criminal.” The film follows a martial arts instructor who quits her job to pursue a life of crime. However, the 20-year-old aspiring criminal encounters challenges along the way.
“Viewers will love Emily’s hilarious attempts at committing crimes and her slow realization that being a criminal is harder than it looks, ” he said.
The film is described by Belanger as a “ dark comedy based on the crime films of the 90s and the surrealist comedies of Wes Anderson.” Production on the film was done over 11 days exclusively in Broward and Palm Beach county. Various local businesses such as ABC Convenience store, Monti’s Pizza, and Elite Force Martial Arts assisted in production by providing filming locations.
The film’s journey began in late 2019 when Belanger launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, a large portion of the movie’s budget. After acquiring funds in 2020, the cast had to rehearse virtually then shoot that July with preventive measures due to COVID.
Belanger is a South Florida native earning two bachelor’s degrees from Florida Atlantic University at 19: multimedia studies and business administration. He started mixed martial arts at ten and earned his 3rd-degree black belt and title of “Sensei.”
Since then, he has created his own production company “ Tripwire Studios LLC” and is working on future projects.
The movie will be shown on Sunday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. at www.paradigmcinemas.com. After the screening, “I Wanna Be A Criminal” will be featured at pop-up events in local Florida theaters and available to rent or buy online.
Tamarac’s Paradigm Cinema is located at 10036 West McNab Road Tamarac, FL 954-726-3500 or email tamarac@paradigmcinemas.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7.75 for seniors.
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