Amateur movie mogul Mark Williams' idol is Steven Spielberg.

The first movie Williams remembers seeing is "E.T." ….

one of director Spielberg's classic films.

In the glow of a television screen at home or the darkness of the movie theater, the Austin man worships images on the silver screen.

Making movies is his goal in life.

This summer, he will help other film-makers realize the collective vision they hold to have their images recognized on celluloid.

He is planning a film festival.

Williams wants to follow in the footsteps of modern day wunderkinds Spielberg, George Lucas and Ron Howard, and become a filmmaker.

He is also a realist. A job -- any job -- in the film industry will do.

More importantly, he knows the value of exposure and it is that reason films deserve to be seen.

Williams is organizing an exhibition this summer in Austin. He wants to give others the opportunity to showcase their films and help other dreams come true -- albeit for a moment -- on the silver screen at a historic shrine to movies, the Paramount Theatre in Austin.

Williams, 20, is one of a group of teen-agers and young adults, ages 15-22, who are hard-core film-making enthusiasts. Some are into video and others pure film-making.

A 2000 graduate from Austin High School, Williams has been "seriously" -- a favorite word, when describing his work -- pursing film-making since the fifth grade.

He created his first short films when he was a sophomore and junior in high school.

"This is what I want to do," he said of his obsession.

According to Williams, his under-classman years at AHS fostered his interest and allowed him to use the school's equipment on film-making projects.

"Clay animation was my very first one," said Williams. "When I picked up a video camera, I knew that was for me."

"A friend and I made a video using a Ghostbuster toy and an airplane hung from a string. Then, I decided to make a video of a role-playing game and it went on from there," Williams recalled.

"I said 'This is what I want to do' and that was it. I was committed," Williams

said.

His interest was nurtured in the simplest and, arguably, most pleasurable of ways. "Watching movies inspires me, he said. "If there's a movie on television, I'll watch it. If it does something for me, I may use some of the ideas in my own films. I just look at it this way: if they can do it, I can do it. I've got a lot of confidence," Williams said.

The first movie he made that was watched by others outside his family and close circle of friends was an AHS language arts class project involving a video about a chapter from George Orwell's "1984."

Since graduation two years ago, he has worked for his father, John Williams, at the family's Austin business, Williams Plumbing and Heating, where grandparents, Sam and Donna Williams, hear about his latest film project.

Parents John and Jan, grandparents and other relatives have watched the young man add to his inventory of film-making equipment: cameras, editing machines mixers and other tools of the trade are his gift preferences.

"I'm taking it very seriously," he said, using that word again. "There are other people who make videos or films like I do, but I don't think there are any others who take it as seriously as I do."

"They don't take it to the extreme as I do," he said for emphasis.

If Williams were to be labeled, this is what it would be. "I'm a Christian filmmaker," he said without hesitation. "What I like to make are movies about God and how He influences other people."

"Science fiction attracts me, too. Chick flicks, drama.

All movies interest me."

Like so many other amateur film-makers, chasing their cinema dreams on a shoe-string budget, Williams does it all: writes the screenplay, acts, directs, works the camera, edits the film, adds sound and pays all the bills.

Williams Pictures is the name of his studio and he wears a jacket with the business name emblazoned on the back.

His personal film library of projects includes 10 school projects and five short films.

His reputation as a filmmaker, he said, is of a "guy who has an appetite for the weird."

What is the latest project for Williams Pictures? "I don't want to disclose it. There's a work in progress," he said with a cryptic hint.

"That's all I'll say at this time. You can put that down," said Williams, taking over the interview for a moment, like the movie mogul he dreams of being.

Williams plans to debut his latest short film at the August film festival or, at least, a preview of his cinema venture.

Currently, he is working with Maggie Snow at Austin Public Library to promote the film festival.

They hope to recruit filmmakers from southeastern and south central Minnesota as well as northern Iowa, who will come to the city in August to premier their films at that venerated silver screen palace, the Paramount Theatre. Scott Anderson, project coordinator for the Paramount Theatre, is coordinating the weekend of film-viewing.

The films must be 15 minutes or less and Williams will review all of them "If anybody thinks they're going to get away with anything, forget it," he said. "I'm going to review every film."

There will be no competition at the festival. It is to give amateur filmmakers, like Williams, exposure for their films.

The film festival is to show off films," he said. "That's it."

"I want to treat each filmmaker who enters the festival as a Hollywood star," he said. "It's everybody's film festival. It's not just Williams Pictures' films. It's all the films being made out there. It's every filmmaker who has a dream. It's their film festival."

Snow has been working with Williams, since March, to publicize the festival.

Films will be accepted May through July 15 to be previewed for the festival. There are no entry fees for exhibitors.

Then, Saturday, Aug. 17, the festival will debut the efforts on the Paramount Theatre's silver screen for the public to see.

For more information about the Projecting Their Film Festival, call 437-2057 and leave a message or visit the Austin Public Library's web site.

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com