Local filmmaker Kane Kettering moved to Columbus in 2016 to pursue an education with the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) program at Columbus State University. He remained in the area after completing his certification, earning his bachelor’s degree and then his master’s.
Kettering said that his first job in the film industry came through a screenwriting internship that he held in undergrad, working with local director and producer Ty Manns. Over the summer, he traveled to Arkansas to work as a production assistant on a film that he’d helped to write. He quickly became the manager of the locations department.
“That was kind of a real flip,” said Kettering. “My first film job, I was managing a department, and I was telling people what to do. And I would constantly be asking producers, ‘What do I do?’”
Kettering said that it was an incredible experience. He has since returned to Columbus and makes local independent films through his production company, MetaModern Films.
One of these films was Project Lazarus, which received a $5,000 grant from the Columbus Local Filmmakers Grant Program in 2024. Kettering said that receiving this grant allowed his production team to film with a much higher budget than they were used to, which also helped them to establish the credibility needed to secure other funds for the project.
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