Author Archives: adam

“Sam Now” premieres on PBS Independent Lens, winner of 13 film festival awards and a Critic’s Pick in The New York Times

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“Sam Now” made its National TV Premiere as part of PBS Independent Lens in May, followed by its VOD release in June. After winning 13 awards at film festivals worldwide, the critically acclaimed documentary is now available to watch on demand via Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play and VUDU. Educational and institutional distribution via GOOD DOCS.

“Sensitive and surprising… a film whose emotional reality seems to evolve before your eyes…”
– Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times Critic’s Pick

What do two film-obsessed brothers do to solve a family mystery? Using every video format imaginable, director Reed Harkness and his brother Sam make a movie as they travel thousands of miles looking for their missing mom. But solving the mystery of her disappearance is only the beginning of their story. Stitching together 25 years of home videos and filling the gaps in the archive with play, SAM NOW is a mosaic of love and an attempt to overcome intergenerational trauma.

“Remarkable not only for its powerful subject matter and the restrained, intelligent way it examines its key players, but for how it simultaneously reaches the audience and everyone involved in the story… This is one of the year’s best films.”
– Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

More information at samnowmovie.com.

“Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey” wins 26 festival awards, tops Rotten Tomatoes and iTunes charts

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“Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey” has released to critical acclaim, winning 26 festival awards and rising to the top of the iTunes charts in the Sports and Documentary categories. It is a member of a select group of films to receive a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hailed as one of the most prolific and influential climbers of all time, Fred Beckey has become a cult hero in the outdoor world. His mountaineering accomplishments are unmatched. He eschewed fame, money and family life so his only obligation would be the next summit. This untamable athlete conquered more unclimbed peaks than anyone in history during his 80-year climbing career, staying myopically focused on the mountains until his death in 2017 at age 94. Spoken in hushed tones around campfires, Fred Beckey’s name has evoked simultaneous adulation and vitriol since the 1940s. He pioneered the lifestyle of the freewheeling American “Dirtbag” — one who forgoes material comforts and defies societal norms to pursue a nomadic life of outdoor adventure — leaving a long trail of scorned climbing partners and lost lovers in his wake.

A scholar and author of essential climbing guides, an environmentalist ahead of his time, a polarizing figure and an inspiration to all who yearn to live life on their own terms, this iconic mountaineer has remained shrouded in mystery until now.


Featured awards include:

2018 Grand Prize Winner 
Alpin Film Festival

2018 Winner of Best Mountaineering Film 
Festival Gorniskega Filma

2018 Winner of Best Alpinism Film
Ulju Mountain Film Festival

2018 Audience Award Winner
Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival

2018 Winner of Best Feature
2018 Winner of Best Documentary
2018 Audience Award Winner
Spokane International Film Festival

018 Winner of Best Feature Documentary
Rainier Indepndent Film Festival

2017 Winner of Best Feature Mountain Film
2017 People’s Choice Award Winner
Banff Mountain Film Festival

2017 Winner of Best Mountaineering Film
Kendal Mountain Film Festival

2017 Grand Prize Winner 
Echo Mountain Film Festival

2017 Grand Prize Winner 
Bansko Mountain Film Fest

2017 Grand Prize Winner 
Nordic Adventure Film Festival

2017 Grand Prize Winner
2017 Audience Award Winner
Bilbao Mendi Film Fesival

2017 Winner of Best Mountaineering Film
Krakow Mountain Festival

2017 Grand Prize Winner
Festival International du Film de Montagne Autrans

2017 Jury Prize Winner
Torello Mountain Film Festival

More information at dirtbagmovie.com

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“The Finish Line” Named an Honoree at 19th Annual Webby Awards

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In January 2014, 2R Productions and Lucid Visual Media partnered with Sports On Earth to produce a series of short documentary films released online.

“The Finish Line” premiered in April 2014 and was named a Webby Awards Honoree in April 2015. The film examines the inspiring journey of Bill Iffrig, the 78-year-old runner whose image became iconic when he fell 20 feet from the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

After winning Best Sports Film for our documentary “Sonicsgate” in 2010 and having “Mr. Irrelevant” named an Honoree in 2014, we’re thrilled to have our work recognized again this year by the Webby Awards, the Internet’s highest honor.

Watch all three short docs we’ve produced for Sports On Earth below:

THE FINISH LINE

MR. IRRELEVANT

BREAKING THE ICE

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K2: Siren of the Himalayas peaks as #1 Documentary on iTunes!

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On December 24, 2014, K2: SIREN OF THE HIMALAYAS peaked as the Number One ranked documentary on iTunes. More than one moth after the film’s VOD and DVD release via First Run Features, it has stayed strong, continuing to climb the iTunes charts.

The film has remained in the Top 10 of both the Sports and Documentary rankings from its day and date release through the end of 2014, peaking at the top spot of both categories.

This entry was posted in News.

“EVERGREEN: THE ROAD TO LEGALIZATION” is now on iTunes!

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Our documentary EVERGREEN: THE ROAD TO LEGALIZATION is now available on iTunes!

EVERGREEN tracks the historic legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington State, examining the inside story of I-502 and the groundbreaking impact of this controversial decision on American drug policy.

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“K2: Siren of the Himalayas” opening in New York City

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After an award-winning international festival run, K2: SIREN OF THE HIMALAYAS is opening in New York City at the Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street) for a week long run starting August 22.

Tickets are available for daily screenings at 1:00pm, 4:30pm and 8:05pm. Filmmakers Dave Ohlson and Jason Reid will be in attendance opening weekend.

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Distributor First Run Features also announced the following theatrical engagements:

Aug. 22 – 28 | New York, NY
The Quad Cinema

Aug. 22 – 28 | Spokane, WA
Magic Lantern Theatre

Sept. 6 – 10 | San Diego, CA
Media Arts Center

Sept. 17 – 20 | Boulder, CO 
Boedecker Theatre

Sept. 26 – 28 | Seattle, WA
SIFF Film Center

Oct. 6 – 11 | Tianjin, China
Tianjin Worldwide Final of World FICTS Challenge

Dec. 3 – 8 | Milano, Italy
32nd Milano International FICTS Fest

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“Evergreen” opens in NYC, SEATTLE, DENVER and more

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“Evergreen: The Road to Legalization” is in the midst of a limited theatrical run thanks to our distributor First Run Features.

“Evergreen” is sparking debate and getting outstanding reviews across the country, as other states prepare for the 2014 election season and ramp up drug policy reform efforts.

“Evergreen” opens this weekend in Seattle at SIFF Film Center, with the city’s first recreational cannabis stores opening their doors officially on July 8.

Get your Seattle tickets now: siff.net/cinema/evergreen

We’re also excited to announce new bookings in Alaska and Oregon! If you want EVERGREEN to play in your city, contact your local independent theater and let them know:

June 13 – 19 at Cinema Village — New York, NY

June 20 – 26 at SIE Film Center – Denver, CO

June 27 – July 3 at SIFF Film Center – Seattle, WA 

June 26 – 29 at Hollywood Theater – Dormont, PA

July 11 at Darkside Cinema – Corvalis, OR

July 25 – 27 at Webster University – Webster, MO

July 28 at Bear Tooth Cinema – Anchorage, AK

Seattle area people! The filmmakers will be in attendance and hosting Q&A sessions immediately after screenings throughout opening weekend.

All you need is a ticket to any EVERGREEN SIFF Screening to join us at the Opening Night Afterparty following the late show on Friday, June 27:

EVERGREEN Opening Night Afterparty
at PDA Lounge (2224 2nd Ave)
11:30pm – 2:00am (21+)
EvergreenParty_PDA
“Marijuana’s Journey to Legitimacy. This assured documentary is loaded with rancor … the battle isn’t over whether pot should be legalized, but to what extent.”

 

More at evergreendocumentary.com/press.

This entry was posted in News.

“Mr. Irrelevant” named an Honoree at the 18th Annual Webby Awards

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In January 2014, 2R Productions and Lucid Visual Media partnered with Sports On Earth to produce a series of short documentary films released online.

“Mr. Irrelevant” premiered in January and was named a Webby Award Honoree in April. After winning Best Sports Film for “Sonicsgate” in 2010, we’re thrilled to have our work recognized again by the Webby Awards, the Internet’s highest honor.

Watch all three short docs we’ve produced for Sports On Earth so far below:

MR. IRRELEVANT

THE FINISH LINE

BREAKING THE ICE

This entry was posted in News.

Documentary Films

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“EVERGREEN” World Premiere at SIFF

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Our new feature documentary EVERGREEN: THE ROAD TO LEGALIZATION IN WASHINGTON made its World Premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) on June 6 with an Encore Screening on June 8! The reviews are starting to roll in, and we couldn’t be happier with how the final cut was received by a packed crowd. SIFF has named EVERGREEN as one of the Top Ten Documentaries at the 2013 festival. We’re honored to be included. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to finish this project, the I-502 issue will be pushed forward and hopefully reach the national stage. We’re working hard to get a wide distribution deal for this film now.

evergreen-poster-temp

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“K2: Siren of the Himalayas” set to U.S. Premiere at Mountainfilm in Telluride

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We’re proud to announce that our film K2: SIREN OF THE HIMALAYAS will make its U.S. Premiere at Mountainfilm in Telluride on Memorial Day Weekend 2013! This is the perfect place to experience our K2 documentary on the big screen. See the official press release for more details and check out the festival at mountainfilm.org.

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“K2: Siren of the Himalayas” World Premieres at Banff Mountain Film Festival

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We had a successful world premiere of our new feature documentary “K2: Siren of the Himalayas” at the Banff Mountain Film Festival last week!  Serendipity struck again in our favor, as our post-production team put the finishing touches on the movie just in time to premier at a special Banff Centre live event with one of the stars of our film, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner.  The audience responded well, and the film received interest from a few distribution outlets.  We’re planning the U.S. Premiere next, stay tuned!  www.k2siren.com

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Andy McDonough

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Producer / Writer

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Twitter @RopedInPro

Andy McDonough writes, produces and develops creative film and photography projects with his company Roped In Productions, collaborating with 2R Productions on multiple feature projects including K2: Siren of the Himalayas (2012), Evergreen: The Road To Legalization (2013) and The Kicker (In Post).

The name Roped In Productions comes from Andy’s passion for mountain climbing, as the teamwork it takes for successful outdoor expeditions mirrors the collaborative artistic process.  After more than 15 years as a real estate professional in the Seattle area, Andy started the company to bring creative ideas to life through multimedia storytelling.

This entry was posted in Team.

Justin Freet

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Writer / Producer

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Twitter @RAWSTOCKmedia

Justin Freet is a filmmaker and festival organizer in Seattle.

He attended UCLA, Washington State University and the University of Washington consecutively, eventually dropping outof all three to enroll in the “Academy of Life Experience.” In 2005, Freet founded the RAWSTOCK Film Festival, a bimonthly film and fringe theatre event focused on visceral independent cinema and provocative live performances. Over the last decade, RAWSTOCK has screened 371 films by a large number of up-and-coming directors.

Freet has written and directed over 20 short narrative films. In 2011, he launched Every Day Is A Journey, an ambitious experimental narrative project in which six independent filmmakers were tasked with telling one story with no pre-determined arc. In addition to co-writing The Barista script with Reid, Freet is currently co-producing a new series of episodic horror films with Christian Palmer and The Rambler director Calvin Reeder, and he will begin teaching a film studies course titled “Unconventional Cinema Narrative” at North Seattle Community College in Fall of 2015. In addition to creating fictional characters, he creates actual people… Freet has two sons.

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Colin White

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Graphics / Editor / Web

Twitter @WhiteWyatt

Colin White is a Seattle native with decades of experience in digital multimedia production including illustration, web design, programming, animation and filmmaking.  He studied Math at Shoreline Community College before transferring to the University of Washington to study Literature and Cinema.  Upon graduating in 2001, he set out to dispel the myth of the so-called worthless Bachelor of Arts degree.  Gathering a varied collection of skills and experience along the way with both independent and corporate endeavors, he recently left Microsoft after seven years to begin his own company and free up his time for more creative pursuits.

Colin has collaborated with 2R Productions on such films as The Reid/Secrest Olympics (2002), Haymaker & Sally (2007), Every Day is a Journey (2008), Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team (2009/2012); music videos Trucker’s Lullaby (Tim Seely, 2008) and The Wind (Alela Diane, 2011); as well as various other corporate and creative projects.  Examples of his web work can be seen at sonicsgate.com, armyoftim.com and diald.net.

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Multimedia Presentations

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Live Performance and Events

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Scott Pendergraft

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Web / Graphics

Scott Pendergraft

Scott Pendergraft began his career as a computer programmer at Western Washington University. Seeking adventure, he then traveled the world for a year. Upon his return to Seattle, he studied graphic design with a special focus on newspaper and publication design.

Since then, Scott has designed pages and advertising for two publications in the Pacific Northwest, and done branding projects, event flyers and posters. His focus now lies in the digital domain. He has created websites for the films Haymaker & Sally (2007) and Man Zou: Beijing to Shanghai (2010) among many others.

This entry was posted in Team.