Forum of Independents - Competition 2005 / Commune / USA 2005
1968. A group of young artists and activists moves to the remote mountains of northern California to create a new, free world. The Black Bear Ranch hippie commune is born. However, each person in the commune has his own idea of what freedom is. The first documentary to explore the concept of “being together” as envisaged in the sixties and seventies.
1968. A group of young artists and activists moves to the remote mountains of northern California to create a new world with a new creed: “Free Land for Free People” - including free love and common property. Financed by money from Hollywood and rock stars, the founders of this future commune purchase land deep in the wilderness and build up a rough homestead. And so the Black Bear Ranch hippie commune is born. However, each person in the commune has his own idea of what freedom is. Their would-be utopia is further complicated by an extremely severe winter, FBI surveillance, the births of children, and a sect which tries to take the commune’s funky tribalism to an excessive level. Today a new group of young people are living on the land. Commune is the first documentary to explore the concept of “being together” as envisaged in the sixties and seventies. It also examines what became of the people who once lived there.
78 min / Color, BETA SP
Director Jonathan Berman
/ Screenplay Jonathan Berman
/ Dir. of Photography Tamas Bojtor, Alan Deutsch
/ Music Elliot Sharp
/ Editor Michael Taylor, Marisa Simpson
/ Producer Jonathan Berman
/ Production Five Points Media
/ Cast Peter Coyote, Michael Tierra, Elsa Marley
/ Contact Five Points Media, CS Associates
www: www.fivepointsmedia.com
Jonathan Berman (b. 1962, Brooklyn, New York) grew up on Long Island, studied in Montreal, and worked in Europe and the Middle East as an agricultural worker and pianist. He debuted with the documentary The Shvitz (1994). His next, award-winning documentary My Friend Paul (1998) was screened in Karlovy Vary in 1999. The film was screened at numerous film festivals all over the world, it went into distribution and was shown on many TV networks. Commune (2005) is his third film.
Five Points Media
305 Hillcrest Dr#1, CA 92024, Encenitas
United States of America
Phone: +1 917 687 7166
Fax: +1 760 875 6446
E-mail: [email protected]
CS Associates
200 Dexter Avenue, MA 02472, Watertown
United States of America
Phone: +1 617 923 0077
Fax: +1 617 923 0077
E-mail: [email protected]
Jonathan Berman
Film Director
Zed Frick
Producer
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