Alan Canning of Bloomfield Hills has entertained us from the stage for years in local productions such as last fall's “The 39 Steps” at St. Dunstans Theatre Guild of Cranbrook. Now he's showcasing his skills in a short film made in Michigan just released on YouTube.

Energized by the cinematic landscape of the Blue Water area, filmmakers chose Port Huron as the backdrop of their movie, which is a tale of redemption for Custer — a man who returns to his hometown to face his demons by making peace with the relationships he left behind, including the man who killed his mother.

The 27-minute movie was filmed last year between July 5-9. The cast and crew shot all over the Port Huron area as well as locations in Taylor, Pontiac, and Clarkston.

The film is an Official Selection of the Blue Water Film Festival and will show between 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 at the McMorran Theatre in downtown Port Huron.

“I loved shooting in Port Huron. The area had a New England feel to it - rich in quaint downtown shops, draw bridges, small town parks, big city dining, rusty bars, iconic landmarks and sandy beaches. It is one of the most beautiful, yet under-appreciated areas in all of Michigan,” said the film’s director, Denn Pietro of Taylor.

Pietro first came to Port Huron in 2009 when his documentary film, Freezer Geezers, about the 75 and over age division at Charles Schulz’s Snoopy Senior World Hockey Tournament in California, won the Audience Choice Award at the inaugural Blue Water Film Festival at the McMorran Theater. When it came time to choosing locations to film his next project, he never forgot Port Huron.

The producers of the film, who played their their award-winning movie, Freezer Geezers, at previous Blue Water Film Festivals, contacted the Blue Water Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and were immediately met with hospitality and cooperation based on their past relationships and ability to promote the area and to potential sponsors and patrons, a news release stated.

“These guys are professionals," Canning said. "When their name is attached to a project, you’re guaranteed their film is going to be better than the amateur, slow-moving, poorly paced, artsy film festival movies that you see from a lot of the others out there."

"The script, direction, soundtrack and cinematography are all amazing. I am very proud to be the face of this film!” he said.