Posted by Submit_News on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 03:55 PM
Gilford, New Hampshire, native and indie folk singer/songwriter Laurel Brauns has signed on to New Boston-based filmmaker Bill Millios’ latest project, a feature film titled Dangerous Crosswinds. Brauns has agreed to let Millios use selections from her recorded body of work in the film. Millios, also a New Hampshire native, wrapped principal photography for his second feature on June 12 and has recently begun editing the film, which he hopes to have ready for release in March of 2005. After reading a newspaper article about 26-year-old Brauns, Millios was intrigued by her do-it-yourself work ethic. Brauns, who writes and records her own music, books her own shows, and handles her own public relations, has self-released two albums. Millios’ approach to filmmaking is similar; he wrote, directed, co-produced, and is now editing Dangerous Crosswinds, which he also plans to market and distribute himself—with some help from volunteer crewmembers—through his company, Back Lot Films.
Once Millios heard tracks from Brauns’ albums Swimming (2001) and Periphery (2003), he felt he’d found a perfect fit for his film, an edgy drama set in New Hampshire about a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who assists in the mercy killing of a friend. "Laurel’s music is so refreshing that it will balance out the darker aspects of the story," says Millios. "We’re thrilled to have a musician of her caliber attached to our project."
Though the editing phase of post-production has just begun, tentative plans for marketing the film are already underway. Millios and his Back Lot team intend to screen the film at venues around the state as part of a "Dangerous Crosswinds Tour." Brauns will lend her talent in this area, too: She has agreed to perform at some of the film’s local screenings.
Brauns, who has recently returned to New Hampshire after touring for almost two years, received national media attention with her first album, Swimming, which she recorded in the basement of her college music building in 2001. After recording her second album, Periphery, on her own record label, Brauns is now seeking representation from an independent record label to record her third LP, which she is currently working on. She will be performing at the Meredith Crafts Fair on Monday, August 23 from 2-3 p.m., and at the Mill City Festival in Manchester on September 11 at 4 p.m.
Millios has earned a reputation as one of the pioneers of independent filmmaking in New Hampshire, and is also considered one of the state’s leading documentary and commercial filmmakers. His first feature, Old Man Dogs (1997), premiered before a sold-out crowd at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts, and was critically acclaimed by Variety, The Boston Globe, and America online.For more information about Dangerous Crosswinds, visit www.backlotfilm.com to sign up for the film’s monthly e-newsletter.
* For more information about the film, please contact:
Karen Sampson
603-924-1995
dangerouscrosswinds@yahoo.com
www.backlotfilm.com
For more information about Laurel Brauns, please contact:
Laurel Brauns
503-936-0024
laurel@laurelbrauns.com
www.laurelbrauns.com
