"Not only the cast and crew will be attending the premiere of the Charlottesville-shot Swedish Auto. Local West Main landmark Mel's Cafe makes its movie debut in the indie film, and diner owner Mel Walker plans to check out the movie October 26 at the Paramount.

Swedish Auto was shot in just 18 days, and two of those days were at Mel's. Writer/director Derek Sieg used to live on West Main above Southern Culture restaurant, and he raves about nearby Mel's-- its Americana and its blue-collar and Southern charm.

'Mel's is a fixture,' says Sieg. 'I just loved it. It's so full of life.'

Mel's, which keeps its name in the film, according to Sieg, is a favorite lunch spot of the characters, and romance blossoms between a mechanic played by Lukas Haas, and a waitress played by January Jones.

'That was pretty cool,' says grillmaster Arthur 'Artie' Walker, Mel's brother, as he fries an eight-ounce burger. The director needed his short-order expertise. 'They came and got me,' he says.

Because Mel's is closed on Sundays, the filming interrupted only one Saturday's business, says Mel, who's owned the restaurant for 12 and a half years. The only downside? The compensation for the use of the location.

'It was nowhere near what they should've paid,' says Walker. 'What they offered me was an insult.'

'It probably was,' agrees Sieg. 'We probably asked him to do it for free.'

Still, Walker concedes that being in the midst of a movie was 'kind of exciting.'

And he'll be at the premiere. 'I asked them to send a limo and to have drinks, but I doubt they're going to,' he laughs.

Sieg laughs too. 'I have to defer to my producers.'" (Lisa Provence, The Hook, October 26, 2006)