Michael Shannon film will have Kentucky premiere at Lexington festival

Long before he played the apocalyptic visionary in “Take Shelter,” the literally finger-popping Colonel Strickland in “The Shape of Water” or Superman arch-nemesis General Zod in “Man of Steel,” Michael Shannon was a teenager in Lexington with goals no loftier than finding ways to pass summer afternoons.

He spent hours walking downtown streets, usually with R.E.M. blasting away on his Walkman. He pored through books and plays in the newly constructed Central Library. He strolled under the mighty neon marquee of the Kentucky Theatre.

Shannon was 15 at the time. Now at 51, (“I just reversed the numbers,” he said with a laugh), all of those early Lexington episodes are coming full circle — none more so than the latter.

On Sept. 28, Shannon will be the celebrated guest of the Kentucky Theatre’s weekend-long Twelve Lions Film Festival (named for the 12 lions in the theatre’s lobby.) The event will showcase a screening of “Eric LaRue,” Shannon’s directorial film debut after three decades as a critically lauded actor in movies, television and theater. Shannon will also host a director masterclass during the festival.

“I’ve been walking past that theater since I was a little boy,” Shannon said. “I didn’t have a dime to my name back then, you know? I never in a million years dreamed that a movie I directed would be showing on a screen at the Kentucky Theatre, so this is a big honor.”

“Eric LaRue” is a work worthy of such an honor. It presents a vivid, but strikingly quiet character study of a young mother whose son has murdered three of his high school mates. Her unsteadiness is hardened by almost every one she encounters — her husband, two pastors of very different churches and even the grieving parents of the shooting victims. The mother is played with unwavering strength by Judy Greer, an actress known mostly for supporting comedic roles.

“The stories I’m most gravitationally pulled toward are ones in which you see people attempting to navigate this insane world we live in and the insane circumstances we find ourselves in time and time again,” Shannon said. “They’re about how you’re supposed to live in a world like this and not be driven to your wits’ end. That’s something I’ve explored as an actor. In this instance, I had the opportunity to explore it as a director.

“Judy is fearless — a very fearless, very intelligent artist. She put her heart and soul into this. It’s pretty astonishing the depths she goes to, knowing that this isn’t a big film with a built-in audience. I mean, odds are not many people will even see the dang thing. But she was willing to excavate that out of herself, even knowing that was the case. I owe her big time. She did things ... I don’t even understand how she did them. She’s a lot more than just a funny girl.”

Shannon’s investment in “Eric LaRue” predates the film itself considerably. The story began as a play by longtime friend Brett Neveu and premiered at Chicago’s A Red Orchid Theatre, where Shannon and Neveu were members. Neveu also wrote the screenplay for the film.

“I had him on set every day,” Shannon said. “It’s not typical on a film set to have the writer shotgunning with you, but I loved having him there to discuss every scene, every aspect. He was very respectful of me as a director and my vision, but I found it extraordinarily helpful to have him there. We have very similar kinds of attitudes about life and the world, so we’re pretty compatible in that regard.”

With one film behind the camera now in he books, can Shannon see himself directing again?

“Well, it would come down to material. I would have to find material, or else write material, that felt worthwhile because as much as I love doing this, I can’t imagine directing something that I wasn’t thoroughly convinced needed to be made.

“I feel like today there’s an overload of content. I know I’m not the only person who feels this way. There’s just too much being made. A lot of it probably didn’t need to be made but got made anyway. It’s tricky, because this is how I make my living, so I don’t want to trash talk it too much. But on the other hand, sometimes a lot it just seems downright silly to me. So, if I’m going to direct again, I want it to be something that has the gravity of what I was hopefully able to accomplish with ‘Eric LaRue.’”

Directing after decades of film acting, Shannon added, isn’t simply an exploration of a new avenue within the same medium. It’s part of an expanding appreciation for all areas of the arts.

“I love what encompasses all the different art forms because even though I’m most experienced, I guess, at acting, I love all the arts. I love music. I love visual arts. I love photography. I love design. I love sounds. I love all these components very much. There was no aspect of making a film where I just said, ‘Oh, I’ll find somebody else to do that, because I don’t know that much about it.’ There was no aspect of it that was like that.

“I was deeply invested in every different department, every different art form, basically, that goes into making a film. That’s what’s so fascinating about film. It’s an amalgamation of basically every art from you can think of. I find that very thrilling, and to get the opportunity to shepherd each one of those elements was very satisfying for me.”

Since the completion of “Eric LaRue,” another of Shannon’s longstanding artistic passions has been allowed to unfold. Those summer walks listening to R.E.M. must left a decades-long impression because in 2024, and again this year, Shannon hit the road performing the vanguard Athens, Ga., band’s music with guitarist/bassist Jason Narducy. Backed by a full band, they played all of R.E.M.’s debut album “Murmur” during a week-long tour last year. That expanded to a full month of roadwork in February when Shannon and Narducy performed the third R.E.M. album, “Fables of the Reconstruction,” in honor of the record’s 40th anniversary.

“Music just gives me a lot of energy,” Shannon said. “It’s uplifting, you know? It lifts the people that are there to hear it. It lifts the people performing it. I think music is probably the most beautiful thing that human beings know how to do, so I’m always up for it — particularly when it’s music that has meant a lot to me.

“When I was walking around Lexington when I was 15, odds are I was listening to R.E.M. It’s really something to have the experience of playing that music. Words fail me about this, I guess. I know this in an interview, but words fail me.”

Twelve Lions Film Festival

When: Sept. 25-28

Where: Kentucky Theatre, 214 Main St. and various locations

Admission: Prices for ticketed events vary; free events require reservations

Info and reservations: twelvelionsfilmfestival.com

All events are at the Kentucky Theatre, 214 Main St., unless noted otherwise. Events without ticket prices are free, but require reservations.

Sept. 25

7 p.m.: Opening of the 2025 Twelve Lions Film Festival, followed by presentation of the Fred Mills Award for Outstanding Contributions to Film in Kentucky

7:30 p.m.: Benefit for the Kentucky Humanities Council featuring music by Chestnut Ridge and a 25th anniversary screening of Appalshop’s “Stranger with a Camera” ($12 advance, $15 day of event)

Sept. 26

10 a.m.: Production Assistant training workshop (at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, 500 Newtown Pike) 11 a.m.- 7:10 p.m. - Official selection film screenings at Kentucky Theatre

1:30 p.m.: Post-Production Workshop (at Wrigley Media Group, 804 Newtown Circle.) 11 p.m.: 50th Anniversary Screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” ($7.75)

Sept. 27

11 a.m. - 7:15 p.m.: Official selection film screenings

7 p.m.: Kentucky premiere of “She Dances” followed by Q&A with Steve Zahn (Sold Out.)

Sept. 28

11 a.m.- 4:50 p.m.: Encore screenings of Twelve Lions award-winners

12:15 p.m.: Director masterclass with Michael Shannon 1:30 p.m.: Pre-production and design workshop with Tim Kirkman (at the Farish Theater of the Lexington Public Library, Central Branch, 140 E. Main) 3:30 p.m.: Kentucky premiere of “Eric LaRue” followed by a Q&A with Michael Shannon ($12 advance, $15 day of event.) Editor’s note: This headline was updated to correct details about the film festival.

This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 8:14 AM.