Sonoma International Film Festival to feature ‘July Rising,’ film by Lake County native
- Lake County News reports
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – “July Rising,” a full-length narrative feature shot in Lake County and written by a county native, will premiere this Friday at the Sonoma International Film Festival.
“July Rising” was written and directed by Chauncey Crail, who spent much of his childhood ni Lake County before moving to the East Coast with his family as a teenager.
The film follows 16-year-old farmgirl Andy (Alexa Yeames) an orphan now facing a new loss: the sudden death of her grandfather.
Andy struggles to save her family’s farm against foreclosure. She succeeds despite greedy bankers, uncooperative fruit salesmen, a colorful local sheriff who catches her at a bad moment, and even the estranged aunt who has become her guardian to bring the family farm to fruition. But will it be enough?
Set in a Lake County pear orchard, dramatic footage brings to the screen real threats facing rural lands against the incessant march of urban growth.
Andy’s intelligence and perseverance offer hope to young women facing the challenges of a male-dominated field but also illustrate how one person can make a real difference by embracing a vision and not letting go.
“Every time I come home, I realize how much things are changing,” said Crail. “Change is not inherently bad, but I wanted to capture what agriculture means out here before it’s eclipsed by agro-industry, residential and tourism development or climate change.”
“The summer heat and wildfire smoke challenged our scheduling team and since we were shooting during harvest in an actively farmed orchard, we had to coordinate with picking crews and wrap on time every time,” Crail said.
He commended the cast and crew for their dedication. “The sheer stamina of our team inspired me. It’s their dedication that made this film happen.”
Crail said the long days and hard work faced in production were rewarded in the post-production phase. “The gorgeous setting – we have some amazing drone footage of the farm – silenced everyone in the room when we first screened the takes,” Crail said. “I’m thrilled with the results.”
Lead producer Robert Mahaffie, who grew up in Washington D.C., has a different perspective.
“Living in the country during the shoot hammered home the reason we needed to make this film,” Mahaffie said. “It was incredible how hard those farmers work – just keeping the farm equipment running was a huge and constant challenge for us. We’re immensely grateful to the whole Northern California community who helped us. The Kelseyville/Lakeport community is the most welcoming and most generous community I’ve ever worked with.”
Cast auditions were held in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco but one key role was assigned to local Lake County actor Reed Wolthausen who coincidentally owns a orchard (walnuts) in Lake County. His performance as the charming but serious Grandpa George – while also being an actual local farmer --lend an element of realism to the set.
Bay Area actors Brien DiRito, Jason Kuykendall and Jonathan Vazquez fill key roles.
Several day-players and extras hired regionally are also featured. Some Sonoma County landscapes can be spotted in driving scenes filmed between Lake County and San Francisco.