Yorktown Filmmaker is Lead Actor in 'Rising Star' Movie

, a Yorktown resident, can do it all. He is a theatre and film actor, technologist, blogger and a web series creator in the Connecticut and New York area.

Currently he is the lead actor in the 80-minute independent feature film, called Rising Star, which will make its Red Carpet Premiere at the Connecticut Science Center in downtown Hartford on Friday, Aug. 3. 

The film,  began in 2010, was filmed entirely on location in Hartford, using many of the city's major architectural landmarks and scenic parks. The Red Carpet begins at 6 p.m. with the film and after party starting at 7 p.m.

'Rising Star' is not the typical romantic comedy. It’s about living carefree, finding your bliss and feeding your passions. It’s also about drowning in fear and anxiety, but also letting nature take its course and letting opposites attract to create balance, according to a summary of the film.

Ploski plays Chris, an overworked 20-something insurance adjuster who must decide between his job and his passion. Alyza, played by Emily Morse, is a carefree opposite who writes poems, counts beats and lets the bills pile. The two couldn’t be further apart on what is and isn’t important in life. But after 24 hours together, they both learn a thing or two each other, themselves, and their passions.

The Yorktown actor is 2008 Sarah Lawrence graduate who holds an MFA in theatre, and also an undergraduate business degree from another college. He has been in more than 50 shows, has done approximately 10-15 shorts films. 

Last year, the Yorktown resident and his team members from various towns  at the 48 Hour Film Project's New Haven competition with their film "Objects of Time," directed by Michael Trzaska.

Cast and Crew for 'Rising Star'

Writer and director Marty Lang selected Gary Ploski for the lead role of Chris at the inception of the project. Ploski read every draft of the script and gave notes on the character. For Alyza, Lang picked Emily Morse, a filmmaker who had just made the short film “Swing Vote,” which she starred in, co-wrote, produced and edited. Lang and Morse went to the University of Connecticut together, and he wrote the part for her.

Lang is an award-winning filmmaker, professor and journalist. He attended the University of Connecticut, graduating with a B.A. in Journalism and covering entertainment for The New York Times after graduation. Lang was accepted into the Florida State University Graduate Film Conservatory in 2002 and has worked on more than 50 short films.

After more than a decade of producing and crewing on over 50 short and feature film projects, Lang decided to scrape together the funding to produce and direct his own narrative feature film.

Marty’s inspiration for Rising Star came from a few places – living in fear of losing his day job.

"My work situation has been turbulent ever since I graduated from college," Lang said. "I've been laid off from work five times. Being laid off sucks. But one thing I learned was that the threat of being laid off is almost worse. You spend every minute of every day in fear, wondering if today is the day."

Living with the threat of being laid off was an all-consuming thing to Lang as he focused all him energy on work, to the detriment of hobbies and things he loved.

"I wanted to tell a story about that type of stress, since I had never seen that story before," the writer said. 

Making 'Rising Star'

The making of 'Rising Star' began in 2009, when Lang and Ploski saw the independent film Medicine for Melancholy at the IFC Center in New York City. After that, Lang wrote the script over the next year while visiting Hartford cultural landmarks and neighborhoods. 

Fundraising began with a Kickstarter campaign in mid-August 2010, and lasted for 45 days. When it was completed, the production had raised $15,211 from 176 backers. These backers were family members of the filmmakers and actors, graduates of the Connecticut Film Industry Training Program, and independent film fans worldwide who found out about the project on Twitter. 

Due to the small budget of the film, the production had to come up with some innovative ways to secure the locations it wanted for shooting. The film was in post production from November 2010 until March 2012.

Tickets for 'Rising Star'are available in advance online. A second show has been added at 9:15 p.m. due to the sold out screening. Tickets to the Red Carpet Premiere and After Party are $20 in advance onlineand $25 at the door. Tickets to the second show are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. 

For the Red Carpet Premiere tickets click here. For tickets to the 9:15 p.m. second show click here. Tickets will be available at the door for both screenings beginning at 6 p.m. on Aug. 3. The Connecticut Science Center is located at: 250 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford, CT.

Ploski's success does not stop here. The first film he directed titled "quiet de luxe" and was shot for the NYC 48 Hour Film Festival in June, was recently accepted to screen at the first annual Village of Brewster Food and Film Festival on Sept. 1. View a teaser for the film here.

To "like" Ploski's Facebook page, click here. To Follow him on Twitter, click here.

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