“Everyone was telling us we were insane,” Noah says. “No one was going to take a risk on two unproven nobodies… Except Ed Harris…”

Three months after their homeless father died in jail, twin filmmakers, Logan and Noah Miller, cornered Ed Harris in an alley outside the Castro Theatre and pitched him on their autobiographical movie, Touching Home. Nine days later Harris called and wanted the role.

Not only did the self-taught Miller Brothers write, produce, and direct Touching Home, but they also star in the movie alongside Harris and fellow Oscar nominated actors Brad Dourif and Robert Forster.

“Ed was the only actor we wanted to play the role of our father,” Logan says. “We read in the local newspaper that he was going to be honored at the San Francisco Film Festival, and decided to go meet him.”

“Everyone was telling us we were insane,” Noah says. “No one was going to take a risk on two unproven nobodies… Except Ed Harris…”

Touching Home is a coming of age story about a homeless father struggling to make amends with his twin sons as they pursue professional baseball.  It is a courageous and honest portrayal of a family fighting to overcome the pain of wasted years and the crushing forces of addiction.

When Clint Winston loses his athletic scholarship and Lane Winston is released from the Minor Leagues, the brothers return home and work at a rock quarry with their father, Charlie, an outcast living in his truck in the woods. Alcohol and gambling have stripped Charlie of his dignity, self-respect, and relationship with his sons.  The American Dream has left these people far behind and this bitter reality both frustrates and inspires these young men.

An homage to the forgotten working class, the film showcases Ed Harris at the height of his powers.

Touching Home is the debut feature from producer/writer/directors Logan and Noah Miller. The cast includes Academy Award nominated actors Ed Harris, Brad Dourif, and Robert Forster with Lee Meriwether, Evan Jones, Ishiah Benben, and Logan and Noah Miller.

Additional links

• Touching Home – the movie site
• Variety article

Saturday Oct. 3rd – 3:30 Emerson Theatre – Q & A to follow.

Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore and more (Photo by Darren Michaels)

The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, stars Ellen Page (Juno) as Bliss, a rebellious Texas teen who throws her small town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby.  When she finds and joins a female roller derby team, she finds her true passion and self. Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River, Pollock) plays Bliss’ disapproving mother, while Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) and Juliette Lewis (Old School) play roller-derby stars.  Also starring Eve, Jimmy Fallon, and Daniel Stern.

Written by screenwriter, and roller derby player, Shauna Cross.

Special Screening

ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time — people who’ve profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising’s “creative revolution” of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,” “Where’s the Beef?,” “Got Milk,” “Think Different,” and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.

SPECIAL SCREENING OF ART & COPY brought to you by: Montana State University, Classic Ink,  Manifest Creative, Mercury Advertising, Massive Studios, Brickhouse Creative & CHISEL industries

A surprising journey into rural American hip-hop, Where You From follows a beat far from the urban streets where the music was born.

Where You From

With dense redwood forests, Rocky Mountain vistas, and the dramatic rhythms of hip-hop as a backdrop, Where You From enters the lives of three extraordinary individuals as it chronicles their pursuit of acceptance, fame, and even salvation. The feature length documentary is a visually stunning, provocative portrait of young men confronting small town life, broken families, and drug addiction– ultimately seeking triumph in their music.

Additional Links

• www.whereyoufromthefilm.com
• www.eightrackmind.com
• www.dirtyratrecords.com
• www.highpoetrecords.com
• www.natkendallmusic.com
• myspace.com/bestrapperontheplanet
• www.stirfrywillie.com
• www.worldwidewong.com
• myspace.com/kushdirtyrat
• myspace.com/callousdirtyrat
• www.freshcoastbattles.com
• www.scribblemagazine.com

As film students in Hungary, they shot footage of the Russian invasion of Budapest and subsequently volunteered to smuggle it out of the country. Barely escaping with their lives, they fled to America and settled in Hollywood, eventually saving enough money to buy their own 16mm camera to begin shooting movies.

Both rose to prominence in the late 60’s and 70’s having shot films such as “Easy Rider,” “Five Easy Pieces,” “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” “Deliverance,” “Paper Moon,” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” During that time, working with directors including Robert Altman, Bob Rafelson, Peter Bogdanovich, and Martin Scorsese, they helped define a new American film aesthetic, and pioneered innovative, fearless ways to tell stories.

This is the story of a 50 year journey, an intimate portrait of two giants of modern image-making and their deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary.

Additional Links

The Best Bar in America is a full-length feature film written and directed by brothers Eric and Damon Ristau. The film went into production September 2008.

Film will be screened at PLONK – Friday Oct. 2 – 3pm! Filmmakers will be present. Q & A to follow.

Additional Links

• Best Bar in America
• New West Article
• Best Bar in America Blog

Produced by – Frank Kelly

On June 21, 2009, 140 filmmakers in 140 different locations simultaneously shot 140 seconds of footage to demonstrate the connections between them and the places they call home. Inspired by the micro-blogging site Twitter.com (and its 140 character limit for its messages), 140 is an experimental documentary that brings together the talents of these 140 filmmakers in 30 countries on 5 continents. The range of filmmakers is diverse, ranging from students to seasoned industry professionals, from bare-bones indie filmmakers to successful Hollywood directors. The unique footage that tells their stories has been assembled into a feature length montage of poignant visual moments – the exact same moments captured all across our planet.

Frank Kelly

Frank Kelly is an international award-winning photographer and filmmaker from Drogheda, Ireland. His credits as a writer/director/producer include three short films, Slan Agus Beannacht (2009), Bill, For Short (2008) and Emily’s Song (2006), which have screened at film festivals around the world.Emily’s Song, in particular, garnered several distinguished awards including a Heartland Film Festival Crystal Heart Award and was twice broadcast on Irish national television through its distribution with Network Ireland Television. 140 is Frank’s first feature documentary project and he is delighted to share this early preview of it with the HatchFest crowd.  Frank is also married to Bozeman native Maryann (Koopman) Kelly.

Additional Links

• 140 Film
• Interview with Frank Kelly

Still “Born to be Wild” 40 years after its original release, EASY RIDER rolls into Hatch in a newly-restored 35 mm film print that has this counterculture classic looking (and sounding) better than ever.

Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider"

This low-budget exploitation road movie directed by then-unknown weirdo Dennis Hopper, not only pioneered the then-novel idea of using an all-rock music score (mostly songs from Hopper’s own record collection, including sensational tracks by Steppenwolf, The Byrds, The Band and Jimi Hendrix), it also turned out to be a huge financial success and a cultural phenomenon that turned the movie industry on its ear, going down in history as the “movie that changed Hollywood forever.”

EASY RIDER chronicles the search for freedom by two motorcycle-riding drifters (Hopper and Peter Fonda as “Billy the Kid” and “Captain America,” respectively) who use a drug deal to finance a cross-country road trip. On their way to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, they cruise Monument Valley, hang out at a commune, party with a pair of French Quarter working girls and go through the screen’s baddest acid trip ever. Thrown into a southern jail, they meet up with an alcoholic lawyer (Jack Nicholson, in an Oscar-nominated performance), who springs them loose and joins them on their journey across America.

Including cameos by Karen Black and record producer Phil Spector, and co-written by Hopper, Fonda and Terry Southern (Dr. Strangelove, Barbarella), EASY RIDER struck a raw nerve with late ’60s youth and ushered in a new, edgier era of American filmmaking.

(Dennis Hopper, 1969, 95 mins., rated R)

“A man went looking for America. And couldn’t find it anywhere…”
9:30 pm, Friday. October 2, 2009 – FILM PREMIERE – 40th Anniversary of “Easy Rider”

Come see the newly restored release of "Easy Rider" at the 2009 HatcHfest

“A touchstone of the counterculture and a harbinger of the New Hollywood. The new 35mm [restored] print returns Captain America and Billy the Kid to a state of youthful vigor.” – A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“PERHAPS THE QUINTESSENTIAL AMERICAN ROAD MOVIE! Remains a powerful expression of the open highway’s iconic appeal.” – The ONION AV CLUB

“EDITOR’S PICK! Hopper’s counterculture classic transforms with time. A decade ago, it felt quaint and dated; today its spirit of rebellion and cynical take on the American Dream feels downright visionary.” – NEW YORK MAGAZINE

From the brothers who brought you the Academy Award nominated film GENGHIS BLUES, comes the next great adventure… BEYOND THE CALL…

Artis & Laws delivery relief supplies in Afghanistan

In an Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure, three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights travel the world delivering life-saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors. Ed Artis, James Laws and Walt Ratterman inspire through deeds not words, in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war.

Knightsbridge International is a unique humanitarian organization, whose motto is “High Adventure and Service to Humanity.” They explain, “We’re not there to change anybody’s politics, we’re not in the God business, and we pay our own way.” They add simply, We do what we can, when we can, because we can.

“An extremely inspiring film that is also hilarious, exciting and heart-wrenching. Not only are the three men unbelievably good willed, they are enjoyable characters filled with lovable quirks and wonderful stories to tell.” ~Christopher Campbell, Cinematical

“Unlikely Heroes” ~New York Times

“It’s impossible not to admire their can-do spirit.” ~Variety

Pick of the Week ~San Francisco Bay Guardian

BEYOND THE CALL premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and has screened at over 150 film festivals on five continents, has won more than 45 awards, including Grand Jury Prizes and Audience Awards. It has screened at theaters across the US including Landmark and Laemmle. “Beyond the Call” aired nationwide on PBS’s Emmy Award winning series Independent Lens.

“An extremely inspiring film that is also hilarious, exciting and heart-wrenching.” ~Cinematical

“Adventurous…straight shooting intrepid trio…accruing eternal good karma… can’t help but inspire.” ~LA Times

“Beyond the Call” is the stirring and powerful account of these remarkable men, both on the road and in their homes. It’s a brave and funny and uplifting film that makes you want to be a better person.” ~Oregonian Newspaper

The Story of a Blind Blues Musician’s Triumphant Journey to the Lost Land of Tuva.

Throat singing

Paul Pena played blues with the greats T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, and Bonnie Raitt. In 1995, the blind bluesman became the first American ever to compete in an unusual contest of multi-harmonic “throatsinging.”

The Autonomous Republic of Tuva, wedged between Siberia and Mongolia, for centuries has been isolated from the rest of the world by jagged mountains and Soviet restrictions. Only recently have the Tuvan art form of throatsinging become known to outsiders.

Pena discovered Tuvan throatsinging on a shortwave program of Radio Moscow twelve years ago. Multiple voices emanated from a single vocalist and the sounds gripped him like nothing he had ever heard. For the next nine years he worked to produce similar overtones with his own voice and to incorporate throatsinging into his blues music.

Unexpectedly in 1993, Pena discovered that Tuvan throatsingers were on their first concert tour of the U.S.. After their performance, the deep-voiced bluesman broke into his own self-taught style of throatsinging and serenaded the musicians with Tuvan traditional songs! The throatsingers were amazed by Pena’s mastery of the Tuvan art form and likened his rich voice to the sounds of tremors in the earth. They insisted that “Chershemjer” (Earthquake) travel to Tuva for the next tri-ennial throatsinging contest which would be held in 1995.

Eleven years after he first heard throat singing, Paul Pena entered the National Theatre of Tuva to make history. The blind bluseman’s performance was so well received, he became the 1995 throatsinging champion in the style of kargyraa. He also captured the “audience favorite” award for the week-long competition. The Tuvan people had never seen or heard anyone like him.

Pena was honored by the Tuvan people, not only because he mastered kargyraa, but he also learned to speak their language. His friendship flourished with Kongar-ol Ondar, the throatsinging champion who had invited Pena three years earlier. Ondar hosted Pena as the bluesman experienced the country he once believed he would never visit.

“Genghis Blues” is a film about exploration and friendship. It is the story of a man whose struggle in life is not defined by conformity and rules but by an unquenchable curiosity, and love of music. Pena’s story is truly an inspiration to all.