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  • June 12, 2010

    25 Hill Movie Production in Taft Rolls On

     

    Click Here to Watch the Movie Trailer!

      

    The showbiz buffs of Hollywood have once again taken to the streets of Taft. Director Corbin Bernsen and company have come to utilize our fair city?s unique landscape for a touching silver screen tale about a boy and his soap box derby dreams called 25 Hill, featuring stars like Nathan Gamble (The Dark Knight), Timothy Omundson (Psych), Bernsen himself and even a few local residents.


    Locals of all ages flocked to the Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, May 29 to audition for a role as an extra in the movie which began filming on June 5. "We're doing a whole bunch of stuff with people and extras," explained Bernsen's production assistant, Kelleigh Miller. Those who served as extras were used in various scenes shot around town. "It's a lot of summer fun stuff for a big montage in the film," she said.


    One extra, Rebecca Gifford, is pleased that Bernsen decided to set the film in Taft. "I read that his mother [Jeanne Cooper] is from Taft," she said. "I think he probably has a kind of special tie to Taft because of her and I think that is nice." Despite her sentiments, Gifford almost did not audition, "But I thought, I'll be sorry if I don't," she said. "I'm glad I did because I knew my five children would get a hilarious kick out of it."

    The audition attracted many different people interested in being a part of the film. Tom Haymes was excited to be involved. "I've seen a lot of people who were in movies and so I decided to be in the movie," he explained. "I hope everyone sees me in the movie."
    Not only did this opportunity capture the attention of those who were looking to have some fun but also those with some acting experience. "I feel excited," aspiring actress, Jessica Rofkahr, who hopes to one day take Hollywood, said. "I've always been interested in acting, I've done acting school and I've done a lot of acting since I was little."

    25 Hill will be the fifth film Bernsen has directed and it has become a bit of a passion project for the man. After reading a news story about the financial hardships the mid-west based All American Soap Box Derby is facing, the actor/writer/director/producer felt compelled to help and drafted a screenplay centered on the ailing American pastime.

    With the surge of technological advances in the last 25 years, the youth are now more likely to be dazzled by the latest video games rather than building a gravity driven car, essentially causing a downturn in the participation of the derby.

    Despite having major sponsors in the past, the non-profit organization still continues to struggle. When the economy went south and Levi Strauss Co. withdrew their sponsorship in 2007, the 75 year old race found itself in dire straits with the bank knocking at their door. The city of Akron, OH, where the derby has taken place in for the last 74 years, answered the organization's distress call by vouching for their debt, swaying the bank to reform the loan and, as an added bonus, catching Bernsen's attention.

    Bernsen's story focuses on 12 year old Trey (Gamble) and a former soap box derby champion and disenchanted local Fire Chief, Roy. Both have endured great tragedies as a result of the events that occurred on September 11 and the subsequent war in Afghanistan. The two forge a bond building Trey's soap box car and training on 25 Hill. Bernsen ties real life events into the story when Trey and Roy's work is compromised by the financing bank threatening foreclosure on the derby.
    "It sounds hokey, but we need a family-friendly experience to counter everything else going on in the world," the writer explained in a USA Today news article about the film.

    Although the All American Soap Box Derby is still in need,
    Bernsen hopes that 25 Hill will help with its powerful story and also with a percentage of the proceeds.
    "We're trying to show that the derby is still alive and well," he told USA Today. "This has the potential for a theatrical release, even if the budget is pretty low. But if it ends up on TV or DVD, as long as it rekindles interest, I'm happy."

    25 Hill will continue filming in Taft until June 13 and is slated for a release in 2011. To learn more about the film, the cast and Bernsen's involvement, visit their webpage at www.25hill.com.

    Source: Taft Independent

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