WEST BEND, WI – A local film and TV personality took home two special recognitions
at the 2024 Milwaukee Independent Film Awards following the screening of her film The
Last Rung on the Ladder at The Bend Theater on Sunday, November 17th.
Kayla Kelly, a Kingsford, MI, native won “Best Actress in a Short Film” for her portrayal
of Kitty Gatlin in The Last Rung on the Ladder, a short film adaptation from the 1978
Stephen King short story. Her co-star, Seth K. Hale, also received “Honorable Mention
for Best Actor”. Additionally, Kelly’s vocal work in the musical comedy The Rise of
Deermageddon, along with co-star CJ Guzan, won “Best Music in a Short Film”.
Kelly’s role as Kitty Gatlin in The Last Rung on the Ladder is that of an estranged sister
separated from her brother, an award-winning author, mental health advocate and
psychologist Larry Gatlin. A series of abusive relationships, substance abuse, and
mental illness sent Kitty’s life spiraling out of control, and Larry is now out of reach.
She becomes a cam girl to make ends meet as well as receive some type of validation.
While attending a gala in his honor, Larry is haunted by his guilt and insecurities which
transforms into a physical manifestation named “The Carnival Barker of Despair”.
The King adaptation was co-written by Karla S. Bryant and Max Blaska, directed by Jeff
Blankenship, and produced by Kurt Krauss. Blaska received rights and extension to
the story through Stephen King’s “Dollar Baby” initiative. Though the program was
discontinued in 2024, the King organization is honoring all previous arrangements with
the filmmakers. Earlier in the month, the film screened at the ETHOS Film Awards in
Santa Monica, CA as well as Halloween Weekend during the Stephen King Convention
“KingCon” at The LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The film also won “Best
Wisconsin Film” at the 2024 Madison Film Festival.
For more information about the Milwaukee Independent Film Awards as well as full
award recipient listing, please visit www.milwaukeeindependentfilmawards.com
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