The Bakersfield Californian

‘Shoveling Pixie Dust’ will be screened at Hitching Post Theater on Dec. 10

BY CLAUDIA ELLIOTT

Tim Landry, who moved to Stallion Springs with his wife, Mauriene, in 2021, had a lot of time on his hands during the pandemic lockdown.

Also facing health issues, Landry took stock of his life and realized he had more days behind him than before him.

With that in mind, he decided to capture his memories for his family — using the modern rendition of the medium he’s spent a lifetime mastering.

The result — a 1 hour 20 minute and 56-second film — is “Shoveling Pixie Dust: A Memoir.” Beyond the interest of family and friends, Landry’s creation has captured audiences — and accolades — at film festivals around the world.

Local audiences have a chance to see the film on the big screen on Saturday, Dec. 10, when matinee and evening screenings will be offered at the Hitching Post Theater in downtown Tehachapi.

Landry’s film is autobiographical, recounting his career which he states “is now officially behind me.” His story begins around the time of his marriage at age 20 in his hometown of Colorado Springs, followed by his return to Los Angeles for his third year at the University of Southern California’s vaunted film school.

Although his career may not have turned out as he planned when he began film school, it was rich with rewards and challenges. Commercial work

supported his family in the early days and then an unexpected opportunity resulted in him lending his visual arts expertise to help create visitor experiences at Disney theme parks throughout the world.

He also worked on many theatrical and television productions and in 1995 won an Emmy for his work on the film “Earth 2” — Outstanding Individual Achievement, Special Visual Effects.

Landry’s faith comes through in the film, as well. His work with film was “embellished by all the marvelous things that God has done in the years between,” he notes, as he describes some of the high and low points of his professional life.

That life was also challenged

— or enhanced, depending on your perspective — by the many technological changes as what we regard as “film” morphed from analog to digital over the past half century. Expensive, bulky machines have been replaced by computers and specialized software.

“Shoveling Pixie Dust” offers plenty for the film production buff as well as those who enjoy a glimpse of what it takes to bring magic to the screen — or theme park. And it’s a heart-warming story of a life well-lived.

Landry and his wife brought some of that magic — perhaps it was pixie dust — to a log cabin home near Sequoia National Park. They moved to the property near Three Rivers, in Tulare County, in 2003 with the intent to retire there but instead turned it into a bed-and-breakfast that Mauriene Landry operated during the week while Tim Landry commuted to Glendale for work. More than a decade later that plan was disrupted by the pandemic lockdown of 2020.

Fast forward to 2022, the Landrys moved from Three Rivers and are settling down in Stallion Springs. Their daughter — a fairy princess baby in the film — is a school principal in

Los Angeles. And although Landry’s career may be behind him, the reaction of audiences at film festivals has been positive. Among awards was one for best biographical film at the Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Virtual Film Festival in mid-November.

Claudia Elliott is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email: claudia@claudiaelliott.net.

HOMETOWN UPDATE

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2022-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://bakersfield.pressreader.com/article/281689733831636

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