The cast and crew of the independent film “Tandem” flew in from Los Angeles last week and spent the weekend in Mathews, shooting a proof-of-concept short film to get the full-length project off the ground. The film is a mockumentary—a comedy/faux documentary—about a tandem kayak race that takes place in Mathews. It was the brainchild of the film’s director, Vika Stubblebine, whose parents are Mathews residents Ray Stubblebine and Ula Ilnytzky. The director said the shoot “couldn’t have gone better.” “We were ahead of schedule every day,” she said. “And the crew and cast brought their A games.” While there were some challenges shooting film on the water, everything went well, she said. The next step is to put the trailer together, edit it, send it to festivals, and try to get financing for the full-length feature film.

Mathews residents Ray Stubblebine and Ula Ilnytzky, at left, were cast in small parts in the trailer for the mockumentary film “Tandem,” directed by their daughter, Vika...