Encore Best of Wilmington ‘08: Best Independent Film Production
So some of our readers may be scratching their heads, wondering, Didn’t we already read this category last week? The answer: No. What they read was “Best Local Production,” which was initially designed to recognize a local TV show. Yet, this category brings in recognition for the lengthier film work that many partake locally. Of one of those folks is Rob Hill, who proudly worked on encore reader’s Best Independent Film Production, The Fort Fisher Hermit; the Life & Death of Robert E. Harrill.
“The Fort Fisher Hermit offers an absorbing and puzzling look into the life and the still-unsolved potential murder of ‘hermit’ Robert Harrill, a business and family man who, during the 1960s, chose to abandon the daily grind,” Hill explains of the film’s idea. “[He opted] for a solitary, spartan life in an old bunker near what is today the site of the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.”
The story has become well-known locally, yet has also garnered a slew of recognition nationally, winning Best Feature Documentary at the Hollywood DV Festival, and taking a Judges Selection home from the NC Video and Film Festival. Locally, the folks behind the film are still spreading the hermit word.
“In an effort to inform and educate people about the Hermit’s life,” Hill explains, “we have worked with the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s educational department to offer aquarium visitors a program called The Fort Fisher Hermit’s School of Common Sense. Visitors can watch the film, then follow a guided tour through the coastal salt marsh to the Hermit’s bunker. The tour focuses on how the Hermit used the environment around him to survive. It gives participants a chance to experience life as a hermit while they try their luck fishing and crabbing in the same water’s as the Hermit.”
While many folks who met Harrill were “moved by the memories and emotions that this film brings back,” it remains a testament to the power of filmmaking—especially when hitting a topic of local value. “Others that have never heard of the Hermit’s story are fascinated,” Hill says. “Some are intrigued by how he survived and why he chose to live the life he did. Some are moved by the controversy surrounding his mysterious death. People are naturally drawn to this story. Maybe it’s an embedded urge to find a simpler life as the Hermit did, or maybe we relate to the inherent struggles that the Hermit over came in the face adversity. Whatever the reason, the Hermit has had an inexplicable connection with people. Some things never change. I hope this documentary will help people find a bit of the Hermit in themselves.”
Other independent film nominees were Super-Sam and Ding-a-ling-less.—Shea Carver
http://encorepub.com
“The Fort Fisher Hermit offers an absorbing and puzzling look into the life and the still-unsolved potential murder of ‘hermit’ Robert Harrill, a business and family man who, during the 1960s, chose to abandon the daily grind,” Hill explains of the film’s idea. “[He opted] for a solitary, spartan life in an old bunker near what is today the site of the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.”
The story has become well-known locally, yet has also garnered a slew of recognition nationally, winning Best Feature Documentary at the Hollywood DV Festival, and taking a Judges Selection home from the NC Video and Film Festival. Locally, the folks behind the film are still spreading the hermit word.
“In an effort to inform and educate people about the Hermit’s life,” Hill explains, “we have worked with the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher’s educational department to offer aquarium visitors a program called The Fort Fisher Hermit’s School of Common Sense. Visitors can watch the film, then follow a guided tour through the coastal salt marsh to the Hermit’s bunker. The tour focuses on how the Hermit used the environment around him to survive. It gives participants a chance to experience life as a hermit while they try their luck fishing and crabbing in the same water’s as the Hermit.”
While many folks who met Harrill were “moved by the memories and emotions that this film brings back,” it remains a testament to the power of filmmaking—especially when hitting a topic of local value. “Others that have never heard of the Hermit’s story are fascinated,” Hill says. “Some are intrigued by how he survived and why he chose to live the life he did. Some are moved by the controversy surrounding his mysterious death. People are naturally drawn to this story. Maybe it’s an embedded urge to find a simpler life as the Hermit did, or maybe we relate to the inherent struggles that the Hermit over came in the face adversity. Whatever the reason, the Hermit has had an inexplicable connection with people. Some things never change. I hope this documentary will help people find a bit of the Hermit in themselves.”
Other independent film nominees were Super-Sam and Ding-a-ling-less.—Shea Carver
http://encorepub.com
posted by robhill at 2:26 PM
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