10 MPH

CAUTION: After watching this film, you might just go out and quit your job!

Get inspired to follow your dreams in 2011 when ReelTime at the Radio Room kicks off the New Year -– and its third season -– with 10 MPH, a modern and innovative twist on the road trip documentary.

From the director of last year’s ReelTime hit, RIDE THE DIVIDE, 10 MPH chronicles the journey of two graphic designers as they ditch their comfortable lives and jobs and make good on a whimsical notion.

Twenty-somethings Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell enjoyed the benefits of well-paid positions that nonetheless left them creatively and spiritually unfulfilled.  Both harbored a strong aspiration to become filmmakers and, through their friendship, found the courage in late 2004 to leave their careers behind and dive into filmmaking full time.

At the same time America was being hit by a huge media blitz around a new and exciting invention dubbed simply “It.” “It” promised to revolutionize modern transport, changing the way average citizens moved from place to place while guaranteeing solutions to some of our most pressing environmental problems.

But fervor over the Segway scooter, the official name later revealed, died out almost instantly.  Was all this frenzy nothing more than media hype, or was there really something to this phenomenon?

For Hunter and Josh it seemed the perfect focus for a documentary expedition -– testing the limits of this new invention by attempting to ride it cross-country from Seattle to Boston.

What results is a filmic expedition that tests not only the limits of man-made machinery, but also the will and determination of two aspiring filmmakers whose project, at times, appears doomed for failure and whose financial woes are many.

Through all the personal ups and downs of the film’s protagonists, the beauty of ever-changing landscapes and kindnesses of people encountered remind viewers that what is often perceived as impractical and self-indulgent – the pursuit of happiness and personal fulfillment -– is an innately human drive, the benefit of which is well worth the cost.

"It's every bit as triumphant touring America as it is extolling the virtues of relishing time and embracing freedom.  Highly recommended."  -- DVD TALK

10 MPH marks a directorial debut for Hunter Weeks, who also produced and inadvertently became one of the film’s principle subjects.

This spontaneous cross-country journey became the launching pad for an expanding foray into the world of independent filmmaking.  Since then, Weeks has completed work on the films 10 YARDS and, most recently, RIDE THE DIVIDE.

In his efforts to bypass more traditional forms of theatrical release and distribution, Weeks has become a maverick in independent film marketing and P.R., creating a DIY guide for aspiring filmmakers based on his own success.

His revolutionary incorporation of social media platforms and online marketing have earned him speaking forums at such prestigious marketplaces as the Sundance and London Film Festivals.

Rider, producer and editor Josh Caldwell is a talented designer and co-founder of Spinning Blue.  Based in Denver, CO, he has also completed work as producer and editor of the film 10 YARDS and his documentary work of Howard Dean’s campaign has aired on E! Networks.

ReelTime is pleased to present another Colorado-based production to a Grand Junction audience.  As the series heads into another season, it will continue to build on its success of highlighting the achievements of the myriad of filmmakers operating completely outside the Hollywood studio system.

Producers Gretchen Reist and Stacy Schoolfield, now in their third year of producing the ReelTime independent film series, maintain a firm commitment to bringing these top-notch independent films to the area to further enhance KAFM’s expanding array of Beyond Radio programs.

ReelTime will present 10 MPH on Thursday, January 20 at 7 pm in the KAFM Radio Room at 1310 Ute Avenue in Grand Junction.

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