Spotlight On Amelia

By Hailey Ashley

THIS MONTH we had the pleasure of putting the spotlight on film writer, director, producer, and Oklahoma Native, Al Mertens. A proud “Okie,” Al was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, after having been adopted into a home filled with communication and a love for the arts.

After attending Jewish and Catholic schools, he served in the U.S. Army, and obtained his primary degree in Business Finance from Oklahoma City University. Years after graduating, he took several semesters of film classes at South Oklahoma City Community College.

Although he comes from humble beginnings and has a personality that seems to lean to the shy side, Al’s combination of artistic passion and legendary work ethic have resulted in what could be considered wild success in the film industry. He has won major international awards for his movies that tend to swirl with dark humor while vividly exploring the underside of human nature within society.

Al has three screenplays that are Amazon #1 best sellers: ‘Transgressions’, ‘Angel City’ and ‘Thank you, Amelia Earhart.’

We asked Al how he continues to cultivate success while he also creates waves and refuses to stay on the straight line that so many in the film industry think they must walk.

He tells us, “I always try to keep in mind that for every cut and dried ‘rule,’ there are many people who are fabulously successful doing 180 degrees the opposite. My intense but loose style of creating has resulted in many future years of feature films currently ready for production, the result of nothing more than a ferocious need for expression.” He continues by sharing with us, “My personal motto is, ‘Blessings accrue to the bold, and time doesn’t wait’.”

His most recent project, ‘Thank you, Amelia Earhart,’ recently won the prestigious Gold Remi Award for Theatrical Feature Film at its worldwide premiere at WorldFest in Houston, TX.

The film takes us on a journey of foul-mouthed, bigoted Myrtle, an elderly woman whose health issues are getting the best of her. Her latest caregiver, Season, ends up being more than Myrtle bargains for, and the truths the two women learn from each other leave both of them forever changed.

Featuring archival footage from the 20th century and inspired Americana score, the film has a very nostalgic feel, and the underlying themes of love, and loss ring true throughout the film.

The culmination of the film is beautifully executed, generating an emotional grasp on the audience in the last moments leaving viewers on a high.