Saturday, May 8, 2010

Ladies And Gentlemen, After A Five Year Delay, 'A Bootful Of Fish'!





Four or five years ago we had a plan. 

In 2005 a small group of folks got together on two freezing nights in New Hampshire to create a short film called "The Listeners." That group included the actors Kristan Raymond Curtis, Tim Robinson and the late, great Bernie Tato. When we finished "The Listeners" it was garnering some attention and so we -- or perhaps it was just me -- decided on a brilliant plan.

Let's make another movie right away! 

So we made "The Listeners" and then right on the heels of that we made "A Bootful Of Fish." 

By the time we were finished with "Bootful", which by our standards was a huge production, and after it went through a particularly painful editing process, we were all but wiped out. We had kind of blown it with "The Listeners", which should have gotten much more attention than it did. With "Bootful" we didn't know where to go or turn - our finances were so strapped we didn't have any money for festivals, and we were exhausted. It had exactly one showing, at the New Hampshire Film Festival in 2005.

And then it sat on the shelf, as it were. And that is altogether too bad.

And now, with the passage of time, Mike Gillis (who directed) and Jonathon Millman (who shot it), recently looked at it, and saw it for what it is, which is a sweet, lovely little film about this theater group trying to put on a show.

It was shot at the Rochester Opera House, which looks gorgeous, and we had a lovely, lovely cast of actors.

We have a marvelous opening song from the great Michelle Lewis, which should have been a hit on the radio, and great opening title sequence and a really funny dance number at the end. That's right, it's a bit of a musical. A lot of enormously talented people worked on the film, which runs about 15 minutes.

If the film has any flaws, don't lay it at the feet of the actors, or the choreographer, or the folks who contributed to the music. They worked very hard on this - and you can see all the hard work right up there on the screen.

So, without further adieu, here's "A Bootful Of Fish". You'll have a fun time.

But don't take our word for it, check it out. 

And if you like the work of any of the people in the film, or helped contribute to it, seek them out and hire them!

Mike Gillis, Lars Trodson and Jonathon Millman