Brian Henson of Muppet fame is already a fan of Daniel Temon’s film work. And his fan base is certain to increase, when his film “My Puppeteer’s Life Journey: A Daniel Story” debuts on the big screen. The film will be featured at the Susquehanna Film Festival (SFF) at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at The District Cinema at Lycoming Valley, 965 Lycoming Mall Circle in Muncy.
“The first Muppet movie literally changed my entire life because of Jim Henson, who had terrific storytelling. My own movie is inspired by the very first Muppet movie and how to follow your dreams. It is a journey where you meet so many people along this journey and you want to find your rainbow connection,” said 32-year-old Temons from Williamsport, who was diagnosed with autism as a child.
“For people with autism, I hope they find their own creative talent. For me, it was puppetry,” said Daniel.
After Daniel’s father Mark reached out to The Jim Henson Company about Daniel’s Youtube channel filled with puppets, the family was elated when they received a response.
Daniel’s mother Pamela Temons said, “There have been multiple times that the Henson studios have reached out. My husband doesn’t take no easily and he reached out to the Henson company and got Daniel on their radar. In 2020, Mark got a phone call from them and they said ‘We want Daniel to keep following his dreams and keep working on making puppets and making videos.’”
From there, Daniel was invited by The Jim Henson Company to tour their studios in Los Angeles and Burbank. Temons’ mantra, “Follow your dreams” was working.
“It was pretty incredible and I met Kevin Clash, who performs Elmo on Sesame Street,” said Daniel.
He also met Brian Henson, Jim Henson’s son who is now chairman of the board of directors at The Jim Henson Company.
Brian Henson “said that he saw his videos on Youtube,” said Pamela.
Inspired by his West Coast journey, Daniel continued to master his puppeteer and video skills.
“I couldn’t have done this without the help from my friends and family and the Lord above. The Lord is such a terrific storyteller,” said Daniel.
Daniel’s mother served as editing supervisor, while his siblings made appearances in the film. In a nod to his faith, he credited “God the Almighty” as executive producer of his film.
Daniel wrote, shot and directed “My Puppeteer’s Life Journey” over the course of a year. The film chronicles his life starting with his autism diagnosis and then follows his discovery of the Muppets and puppetry.
“Puppetry is one of the most challenging things that I did because I built the puppets. The hardest thing was moving the puppets’ lips and lip synching them,” said the filmmaker.
Once the movie was completed, Daniel turned the movie into a book called “My Puppeteer’s Life Journey.” Then he submitted the film to the SFF, after a call for submissions went out from festival founder Tim Yasui.
“When I saw the Susquehanna Film Festival, I figured I would submit it and then it got accepted. And I was like ‘What!’ As soon as I told my parents they said, ‘We’re so proud of you kid,’ ” Daniel recounted.
According to Yasui, over one hundred submissions vied for entry to the SFF. In the end, only 33 were selected.
“I was blown away by the effort, the passion and commitment that Daniel made to his storytelling. Within minutes of screening ‘My Puppeteer’s Life Journey,’ I knew that I absolutely had to include his debut film in the Susquehanna Film Festival!” said Yasui. “One of my goals was to give aspiring young and first time filmmakers – who otherwise would not likely qualify for larger, more mainstream and established film festivals — a voice and a platform for their films in a comfortable and more producer friendly festival environment.”
With only days to go until his big debut, both Daniel and his family are prepping for the red carpet and premiere.
“I am both excited and a little nervous because I am showing my film,” said Daniel.
His mother Pamela added, “I can’t wipe the smile off my face and I am a little giddy.”
To purchase tickets for Daniel’s movie or other SFF films in advance, please visit https://thedistrict.dipsontheatres.com and for more information about the festival please visit https://www.facebook.com/susquehannafilmfestival.