Passenger Pigeons Premieres at SXSW
Martha Stephens' debut feature film Passenger Pigeons debuted today at the SXSW Film Festival. Set in a small Kentucky town in Appalachia, the ensemble drama explores the effects of the death of a young coal miner killed in the town's mine.
Despite the high-profile premiere, the film was made in barebones circumstances. The budget of the film, raised largely from friends and relatives, was only $8000 and the crew of four slept on couches during production. But while the budget was certainly tight, Stephens liked working under the given conditions, though she does wish she could have afforded to pay everybody.
"At [the North Carolina School of the Arts]," Stephens said, "because we did the studio system, you would have crews of 30 people and I just felt like it was too much and a lot of people were sitting around with nothing to do. … I’m glad it is the way it is; I don’t regret anything. I just wish we could have paid people."
If the trailer for the film is any indication, it looks like a lovely piece of regional filmmaking. In an era where everything seems calibrated for mass appeal, Passenger Pigeons is very much the product of a specific location, reflecting Stephens' own roots in Appalachia.
Keep your eyes peeled. I would expect to see Passenger Pigeons at film festivals around the country in the coming year. It may just shape up to be one of the best independent debuts of 2010.
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