Filmmaker Lukas Huffman had long dreamed of programming his own film series. "I've made a lot of short films and screened at a lot of festivals over the course of the last 10 years," he said. "And half the time it's a great experience." The rest of the time, he said, he's been disappointed by the programming: the quality of the other films or the lack of a strong thematic link among them.
While touring with his latest film, "Bloodroot," a portrait of two brothers throughout their lives, he watched two other Vermont films and had a "lightning-bolt moment," he said. "I saw 'Bad Mother' and 'The Thaw' and was excited, not only by the quality of the films but how such differently crafted films can tackle the same subject matter — family dynamics that are unique to Vermont," he wrote in a press release.
A fourth film, "I Guess It Might Be Selfish," which Huffman helped produce, would complement the others, he decided, and his first film series was born. "Family Matters: A Tour of Vermont Short Films" will play in St. Johnsbury, Putney, Burlington and Montpelier, starting on Saturday, September 28. Question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers will follow each screening.
The four films — set and shot in Vermont — range from horror to dramatic comedy. With "Bloodroot," Huffman set out to show the dramatic passage of time in Vermont. After living in New York City for 15 years, he moved back three years ago to his hometown, Montpelier, and was struck by the way relationships with his family became more complex. Coupled with that was a recognition of the prominent role Vermont's landscape plays in his life, he said. He filmed on the Millstone Trails in Websterville.
"The location itself is like a lead character," Huffman said. He also filmed in Websterville when directing "The Quarry Project," which captures the 2022 dance performances at the Wells Lamson Quarry choreographed by Hannah Dennison.
In "Bad Mother," a mother copes with her husband's confession of infidelity on the eve of a funeral. This first film from writer-director and East Thetford native Molly Longwell was awarded the grand prize at the 2023 New York Shorts International Film Festival and best drama at the 2024 Fire Island Film Festival.
"The Thaw" is a horror folktale written and directed by Sarah Wisner and Sean Temple of Montpelier. In the 19th century, a young woman's parents drink sleeping tea to survive the harsh winter, and an early thaw leads to horrifying results. Named best Vermont short at the 2024 Vermont Film & Folklore Festival, "The Thaw" also won an audience choice award at the 2024 Boston Underground Film Festival.
Brooklyn filmmaker Eddie Shore wrote and directed "I Guess It Might Be Selfish," set in the Mad River Valley in the wintertime. As an older man reflects on the shame he feels about his lack of self-awareness in his youth, a younger man embodies that same selfishness, making choices that clash with his young family at home.
Longwell, now based in Brooklyn, expressed gratitude to Huffman for helping independent filmmakers get their work on a big screen in front of an audience. "Vermont is making a splash in the film world, and it's so exciting to contribute to and witness," she wrote in an email.
As part of the tour, the four films will be screened during the Vermont International Film Festival in Burlington. Vermont International Film Foundation executive director Steve MacQueen noted in an email that the tour and his organization both have "Vermont" and "film" in their titles. "It would be appalling if we didn't screen these films," he wrote.