Former Elon Student Takes Dreams to Big Screen
From the varsity football field to the acting stage, David Rountree has done it all. Rountree attended Elon for his first two years of college, where he played varsity football and baseball, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. And now, he’s making a movie.
Rountree’s baseball movie, “108 Stitches” hits theaters September 12. He says that many scenes in the movie are “twisted” versions of things that happened during his Elon baseball career.
Poster for Rountree’s “108 Stitches.”
Although Rountree finished his athletic and academic careers at North Carolina State University, he credits Elon for igniting his film career. He believes Elon’s professors played a big role in inspiring him to pursue cinema.
“It was Kevin [Boyle, Elon professor] who taught me the fundamentals of storytelling and instilled a belief in myself in regard to writing,” Rountree said. “I am still in contact with Kevin to this day.”
The young director is excited for viewers to see the movie, saying “[it is] the kind of movie where you kind of smile all the way through.”
The cast of “108 Stitches” includes Golden Globe winner Bruce Davison, as well as Larry Thomas, who is known for his role as the “Soup Nazi” on “Seinfeld.”
In addition to promoting “108 Stitches,” Rountree’s other film, “CUT!”, will debut later this year. The film is a dark, psychological thriller that has already received attention at the 2014 Independent Film and Television Festival, getting Best Film and Best Director nods.
Rountree is also currently co-producing a comedy called “Multiplexing,” featuring Hilary Duff and John Heder.
Hoping to continue to make movies well into the future, Rountree says he is taking everything “one game at a time” for now.
