A new independent film, shot entirely in the Jackson area, will be screened for local movie lovers later this week in Jackson Hole.
In “Peak Season,” audiences will get to experience an exploration of the choices we make seen through a connection between Amy, a visitor, and Loren, a fishing guide.
(Courtesy Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter)
Co-writer and director Steven Kanter said a huge part of the filmmaking process was working to make sure the locations they shot in in and around the Tetons feel authentic.
“Even though I’ve spent so much time in Jackson, I still feel like a visitor in many ways,” Kanter said. “I didn’t grow up there so we wanted to get the details right. A part of that came down to actually conducting interviews with people who were working there as wilderness guides, live fisherman, working as ski patrol, and just getting a good sense of what that lifestyle actually consists of.”
Several actors in the film were casted locally, such as some of the rodeo riders. Los Angeles-based actor and filmmaker Claudia Restrepo was brought in to play Amy, a visitor she says is at a crossroads in her life. She said, with the way the movie was written, there was room for actors to connect with one another and the natural beauty of the region.
“The script is really beautiful, I think much like how the scenery of Jackson sort of leaves things unsaid, and you just experience that the script is a little like that,” Restrepo said. “So much of it is through glances and moments with the other actor.”
Co-writer and director Henry Loevner said in trying to capture the emotional beauty of the Tetons, often this meant not relying on music.
“Just like long shots of the sweeping vista, and just try to do our best to capture the atmosphere, and let that be in a sense, kind of the music of the film,” Loevner said. “Of course we have music in there as well. But, very early on, we knew that taking on this type of project that the environment is important for so many reasons.”
KHOL film critic Jeff Counts sat down with Kanter, Loevner and Restrepo to discuss the film. Listen to their discussion below.
“Peak Season” will screen Friday, March 22, at 7 p.m. at Pierre’s Theatre in Victor and in Jackson on Saturday, March 23 at 6 p.m. at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
(Courtesy Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter)
