Boston Globe Article
"ENGINEER WINS FILM AWARDS: Tom Kochem of Belmont said the most he was hoping for when he entered his independent movie at the recent Indie Fest USA International Film Festival was a student film award. But "Yellow Lights" received Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography honors. The 88-minute movie competed against 22 feature films and 75 total entries (including short films and documentaries) at the festival held in Anaheim, Calif.
"I was totally surprised and totally happy."
Although Kochem said the special effects in "Star Wars" inspired him to experiment with his father's camcorder in middle school, he didn't become serious about filmmaking until college. During his senior year at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Kochem teamed with San Diego resident Kevin Tostado to write, produce, direct, and edit "Yellow Lights," a drama about a college student moving on from the painful end of a serious relationship. With fellow students serving as actors and crew members and local bands performing on the soundtrack, the movie was filmed on a $500 budget in Arlington, Wellesley, and Needham.
Members of Olin College's inaugural class of 2006, Tostado is now pursuing video production full-time in California, while Kochem is a mechanical engineer at a product development consulting firm in Cambridge. Kochem is also seeking financing for his second feature film.
"Aside from its artistic value, I hope 'Yellow Lights' inspires other filmmakers by showing them what you can do with a lot of focus and drive, but not a lot of resources," Kochem said. For more information about "Yellow Lights," visit yellowlightsmovie.com."
-- Cindy Cantrell for the Boston Globe