5-25-77 at Devils Tower
Do you remember your first big dream of escaping your small existence for
something greater... out there? How about your first love? What if you had to
choose between the two?
That’s the conundrum at the center of the film, 5-25-77. A coming-of-age tale,
from writer/director Patrick Read Johnson (Dragon Heart, Angus, and Baby’s
Day Out), 5-25-77 is the story of the final life-changing year of the only science-
fiction-obsessed teen filmmaker in the rural town of Wadsworth, Illinois
(population 750), and the amazing series of events that propel him toward a date
with destiny… May 25, 1977.
The day a little movie called “Star Wars” opened in “theaters everywhere”.
Starring John Francis Daley (Freaks and Geeks, Waiting, and Bones), Austin
Pendleton (The Notorious Betty Page, My Cousin Vinny), Colleen Camp
(Apocalypse Now, Election), and Neil Flynn (The Middle, Scrubs), 5-25-77
pits the teenager’s desire to escape “fly-over country” by heading to Hollywood,
against his fear of leaving everything he knows and loves behind to chase an
unlikely dream.
On May 25th, 2012, on the 35th anniversary of the release of the original Star
Wars, Patrick Read Johnson departed Wadsworth, Illinois, in the film’s 1975 Ford
Pinto, heading west, to begin a 30-day cross-country test-screening campaign
designed to raise money and awareness to finally bring his long-awaited film to
the screen. See the trailer for 5-25-77 here: visit http://youtu.be/
His final goal? To arrive in California, and deliver copies of 5-25-77 to the “Three
Wise Men" of movie-making, who most helped and influenced Johnson during his
pursuit of becoming a filmmaker himself. The identity of the wise men will be
revealed, once he successfully reaches each of their doorsteps.
Interested in keeping up with Patrick's journey? A team of documentary
filmmakers are following Johnson as he travels across America to save his film,
and they are recording and sharing his experiences with the world via their
website, http://www.heartsofdorkness.com, as well as their various related social
networks. The highlights of Patrick's road trip will eventually be compiled in
Hearts of Dorkness, a documentary that will also cover the making of 5-25-77.
Thus far, Johnson has held successful test-screenings in comic book shops,
independent theaters, and under the stars in Fairfield, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska;
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming; and Boulder, Colorado. He is heading toward Austin,
Texas, and from there, he will be turning toward California, by traveling through
the Southwest. Patrick has been met with generous support by long-time and
newly-created fans of 5-25-77, but in order to keep going, he is dependent on
continued contributions through his FundRazr.com campaign. Visit http://fundrazr.com/
Patrick will soon be launching a campaign on Kickstarter.com, which will reach a
broader internet audience of individuals who value the efforts of independent
artists enough to fund projects at sometimes double, triple, or even 6 times the
amount artists request. Patrick hopes that through his awareness-building test-
screening road trip, the momentum of support for his film will build to the level
needed to raise the funds needed to finish 5-25-77.
Between the Kickstarter and the visit to the 3 wise men in California, Patrick
Read Johnson will keep driving until his film, 5-25-77, is where it belongs:
finished, available, and enjoyed by audiences everywhere.
If you would like more information, email: info@heartsofdorkness.com
If you want to help Patrick make it to California, visit: http://fundrazr.com/
And, to keep up with Patrick, find out more about 5-25-77, and everything else
related to his journey, go to: http://www.heartsofdorkness.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
