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The first movie with which Heath McKnight became obsessed was An American Werewolf in London. "I'd carry a horror makeup book around with me in middle school," he recalls. "Then, it was Pulp Fiction, and everybody I knew wanted to be a filmmaker."

Of course, most of McKnight's Wellington High classmates didn't become filmmakers. But he did. Now 29 years old, he has made several short films and a feature titled Skye Falling, and has become the driving force of local film in Palm Beach County. As both president of the Palm Beach Film Society and lead teacher at the Palm Beach Film School in West Palm Beach, McKnight has assisted in the production of hundreds of local films.

"Whenever I hear someone is working on an independent film, I have to contact them and ask, 'What can I do? How can I help?' I get excited, I can't help it," McKnight explains.

A graduate of Palm Beach Community College's inaugural film program, McKnight spent five years working at WPTV NewsChannel 5 in West Palm Beach as a writer, editor and producer. But his main goal has always been to make his own independent movies. "While my friends were into sports, I was into Scorsese," he says.

After earning his degree, McKnight went to MGM Studios in Orlando, where PBCC arranged for him to make a film utilizing the studio's equipment and staff for free. "The only problem was I had a script for a two-hour movie, and the deal was to let me make a 10-minute movie," he says. Never one to pass up an opportunity, he quickly improvised a film titled The Hollywood Wannabes, centering on all his filmmaker friends.

Since then, he has made the shorts Push/Pull and A Reminder. He is currently casting for his second full-length feature titled 9:04 a.m., the story of three very different sisters.

Last year, just as McKnight was making a break from television news, the Palm Beach Film School was forming and in need of a head teacher. "We really hit the ground running. We started up last March [2004] and launched 40 films in one year," he says. Just last week, nine student films were featured at the BMC Promenade East cinema in Palm Beach Gardens.

In 2002, McKnight led the establishment of the Voices of Local Film showcase at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, an event that is now a yearly highlight of the fest. He advises fledgling filmmakers to "seriously plan ahead or it will take you six months to shoot a 10-minute film."

Skye Falling, McKnight's semi-autobiographical film, explores how people become content with their boyfriends and girlfriends but are never truly happy. It took six years to finish and release. "But I did it," he says. "That's the thing." For more information on McKnight or his films, visit www.palmbeachfilmschool.com or www.mpsdigital.com.

-- T.M. Shine