Fort Oglethorpe native Jude S. Walko is trading in his small-town roots for a life among the stars.
Walko is the writer and director of the film “The Incantation,” starring Dean Cain. The film was recently screened at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, held February 21 through March 2 in Los Angeles, where it was up for a People’s Choice Award in the Feature Film category.
After two decades spent honing his skills in the industry, Walko decided it was time to prove himself as a director and writer. It took three years and a maxed out credit card, but Walko was finally able to see his dream realized on the big screen.
“I was that small-town Fort O. guy with a big dream,” Walko said. “The reality is, though, that I followed my dreams and pursued them relentlessly. I put in two decades learning my craft, making contacts and getting to a point where people could trust in me with their money and their ideas.”
Walko met Cain, best known for the role of Superman in the TV series “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” while working on a film called “Circle of Pain” in Austin, Texas. A decade later Walko was sure Cain had forgotten about him, but to his surprise and elation Cain cleared his schedule to work on “The Incantation.”