Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick as young Austen Kittredge with Genevieve Bujold, who portrays his grandmother, in a scene from Jay Craven’s film ‘Northern Borders.’
Northern Borders is an excellent film based on the novel by Howard Frank Mosher. The director, Jay Craven, had a team of college students help with the production, amongst them Tamworth’s own Alison Pugh, a student at Marlboro College. The NH premier was held at Barnstormers Theatre in June. Those of us lucky enough to attend were enthralled by the commentary by the director describing the tremendous team effort that went into the making of this wonderful film. Jay Craven’s latest project, “Northern Borders,” is a feature film made in Vermont, and starring a pair of Academy Awards nominees, Genevieve Bujold and Bruce Dern. Film production was an educational experience for Craven, as the bulk of his crew came from colleges throughout the Northeast. Craven teaches at Marlboro College and filmed much of “Northern Borders” near the southern Vermont school that helped fund the film. His crew of 47 included 32 students.
In his own words:
I think it was great. I wouldn’t trade it. I’m planning to do it again. I felt it was my best production experience with all of the links and sense of community that developed. It was also my best educational experience.
You assume that the students can reach beyond their grasp and function as peers, and they did. Does that mean there were more continuity problems? Yes. More soft focus? Yes. But it didn’t harm the movie and it was part of the price that was to be paid for inexperienced people reaching beyond their grasp.
Here is a 33-minute trailer about the making of the film which includes some footage from Alison about her experience on the film as a boom operator.
Here’s the story line: 10 year-old Austen Kittredge is sent to the farm of his Northeast Kingdom grandparents whose thorny marriage is called “The 40 Years War.” A humorous and sometimes startling coming-of-age story, Northern Borders evokes the Kingdom’s wildness, its sublime beauty, a haunted past, and an aura of enchantment.
If you missed it, please come on August 13 at 5 pm to see it at the library. You won’t be disappointed.
Many thanks to the Pugh family for graciously purchasing a DVD of the film for the library’s collection.