BETHEL — Writer and director Rob Banish, of Bethel, is briefly shifting gears from the local family documentary he’s been working on since 2024 to shoot “Coffee,” a noir thriller he wrote and will direct this summer in Portland.

Banish garnered 14 awards from international film festivals for Two Fridges, a short film about a controversy in Rockaway, New York, where townspeople stocked a public refrigerator with food for homeless residents. He was living in Bethel and working at the Gemini Café when he edited the film.  A local screening was held at Bethel’s Gem Theater in May 2024.

The main character in Coffee is loosely based on Banish’s grandfather, a Korean War veteran and lifelong gambler. “He lent a lot of the inspiration for this character,” said Banish. “I’ve had this idea for a few years now, but I think his passing this past April is what really pushed the story into production so suddenly.”

“Coffee is going to be a fun yet heart-pounding journey as we follow John, an avid liar and gambling addict, when he stumbles across the identity of a wanted serial killer…” says Banish in his pitch on the web site Seed and Spark  where he recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for the film.

Banish has three Portland locations in mind for filming: the bridge to South Portland, an apartment building in Parkside, and Deering Oaks Park. He has brought back some of the talented crew and cast he’s worked with in the past; they planned to shoot June 27/28 weekend.

Hopefully, he’ll bring the finished film back to The Gem for a sneak preview as well.