
Georgia Grzywacz, left, and Caleb Clarke of Bethel have small parts in Rob Banish’s, right, film, “Two Fridges.” Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen
BETHEL — Georgia Grzywacz and Caleb Clarke, along with Caleb’s sister, Livy, are actors in “Two Fridges,” a movie short by Rob Banish that is winning awards around the world.

Rob Banish has won 14 awards at film festivals around the world. “Two Fridges.” will play at The Gem Theater this Spring. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen
Of their five seconds on the screen, Grzywacz joked, “Being in that movie was the most exhilarating moment of 2023 … I’m just trying to stay humble now.”
The movie is not about Bethel but instead is about a controversy in Rockaway, New York, where Banish was living a few years ago and where a public refrigerator for the homeless was stocked with food by townspeople.
Banish said, “A lot of people were divided over this refrigerator. Half the town thought it was good to provide for the homeless and have that resource there and the other half of the town thought it was bringing more homeless people out of the inner city and into the town of Rockaway … ultimately someone did steal the fridge and threw it out on the rocks … The town exploded after that.”
Rockaway’s Facebook page was the vehicle for many of the arguments that ensued. “The town almost fell apart,” said Banish, who added that, “it felt so ridiculous with everything going on in the world.”
He wrote his film as a fictionalized version of the real event, where characters represent different sides of the argument.
Asked the film’s genre, he said, “everyone has a different take on it.” Some people call it a drama, others say it is a comedy.
Filming
The filming took three days and about 15-20 dedicated co-workers at the film studio where he was working to help with cameras and lighting.
They were allowed to film on the same public jetty where the refrigerator had been during the controversy, but were warned by the the New York City Parks Department to, “be careful because the Rockaway people are still upset about this.”
“It was still a sore subject for them [a year later],” said Banish.
He said he always wanted to play around with an Andy Griffith type character, a sheriff of the town. What would a nice role model of the town do in this situation? Banish asked himself. The whole film leads to an unavoidable confrontation. The sheriff is playing both sides, he said.
“They made this debate over should there be a fridge or should there not be a fridge? Really no one was asking why are there so many homeless people?” he said.

Bethel residents Georgia Grzywacz, left, Caleb Clarke and his sister, Livy Clarke, had roles in “Two Fridges,” a film made by Rob Banish of Bethel. This is a still from the movie. Screenshot from video
Bethel
Banish said living in Bethel this past year gave him the “mind space” to finish editing the movie while working as a barista at Gemini Cafe. He thought he had completed all his filming in Rockaway, but realized that he needed footage of the Rockaway townspeople as they reacted to a fight in the final scene.
“I had to do a few pick-up shots with my friends that I’ve made here at the Gemini,” said Banish of the Clarkes and Grzywacz.
Banish was at Gemini recently helping clean following the December storm. He helps when they are short staff, too, but has a new position as a Gould Academy Admissions coordinator.
He said he has always written, even as a child, and once he got to high school he and his friends shot videos around his Long Island town. The movies were always about crime. “We were kids on Long Island, so we grew up with Goodfellas and all these different crime movies … we were always in our slightly over-sized suit jackets and toy guns, robbing stuff and driving around being the hardest looking 15-year old’s in town.”
After high school he went to college for film.
Screenings
“To see it in front of audience, was pretty surreal,” said Banish who, on Dec. 9, flew to Los Angeles for the Hollywood Boulevard Festival. After the screening, he went on the stage for a question and answer session with the audience.
So far Banish has accumulated 14 awards and one nomination from film festivals around the world: Calcutta, Rome, Cannes and the United States. There are 35 more festivals in 2024 where the movie will be screened and rated, too.
In the meantime Banish has met with Gem Theater owner Wade Cavanaugh and Bethel Area Arts and Music Director Kate Webb about holding a screening at the Gem sometime this Spring. They are still working out the details.
Banish said he would love to film again in Bethel.
It is an odd coincidence that he rents part of a house on Summer Street that was used to film the movie, “12 Dogs of Christmas,” released in 2006.
He said he is trying to gain experiences while living here. “I write better from what I know … I have a few ideas floating around,” he said.
He only needs to head to the local cafe to find willing actors, too.
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