Slater and executive producer/star Jakob Dylan (yes, that Dylan!) stopped by the Angelika New York to discuss how their lifelong passion for folk music brought them together and inspired them to make ECHO IN THE CANYON. While interviewing musicians, Slater discovered how the bands influenced one another in a “communal and organic” way. He found this collaboration and community much more compelling than his original plans to make a documentary about “the electrification of folk music,” and ECHO IN THE CANYON was born.

The documentary highlights the transition from the bright optimism of The Beatles to the psychedelic introspection of the singer-songwriter era in the 1970s. ECHO IN THE CANYON features extensive interviews with folk music icons like Roger McGuinn and David Crosby (The Byrds), along with Tom Petty’s last recorded interview and a particularly revealing talk with Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas). ECHO IN THE CANYON is a loving tribute to the musicians who transformed the industry with their timeless harmonies and 12-string guitars.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A with Andrew Slater & Jakob Dylan! 

ECHO IN THE CANYON opens Friday 6/28 at Kahala Theatres.

Critics are raving about their stunning documentary, stating, “Mother Nature has never been more inspiring.” After its initial film festival screenings at Toronto, Telluride, Sundance and more, it became clear that this little farm would provide huge inspiration to all its viewers.

The Chesters’ farm was created to let nature be itself – the ultimate eco-conscious paradise. Here, Chester discusses his take on conscious farming:

“Its definitely aged me, the whole process,” Chester states, but its “made me appreciate life so much more… I wouldn’t trade the sleepless feelings I have right now for anything.” Chester approaches farming the same way he does filmmaking – let it develop as it goes along – and keep it as ‘organic’ a process as possible – truly allowing the farm (or the film) to be a journey.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A!

About the film:

A testament to the immense complexity of nature, THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM follows two dreamers and a dog on an odyssey to bring harmony to both their lives and the land. John and Molly Chester make a choice that takes them out of the city and onto 200 acres in the foothills of Ventura County, naively endeavoring to build one of the most diverse farms of its kind in complete coexistence with nature. The land they’ve chosen, however, is utterly depleted of nutrients and suffering from a brutal drought. The film chronicles eight years of daunting work and outsize idealism as they attempt to create the utopia they seek, planting 10,000 orchard trees and over 200 different crops, and bringing in animals of every kind. When the farm’s ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, so does the Chesters’ hope – but as their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they realize that to survive they will have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature, and of life itself.

View the trailer:

Where to see it:

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM is now playing at Kahala Theatres.

Director Ritesh Batra (THE LUNCHBOX, OUR SOULS AT NIGHT) stopped by our sister theater, the Angelika New York, to discuss his newest work, PHOTOGRAPH, which the LA Times calls “a lovely, charming and gently transporting journey.”

The film walks a delicate balance, wherein its central two characters remain the viewer’s sole focus. Batra discusses that despite there being 52 speaking roles in the film, he wanted to keep as many of them off camera as possible, so as not to draw attention away from the leads. In alignment with that, there was a huge focus on sound design – the filmmakers actually spend more time on sound design than on editing – to maintain that delicacy that the film holds, and “get into the characters’ heads” through the music and sound within the film.

Batra actually wrote the film’s final scene first, in which he established the film’s premise, and then let the characters lead him, so to speak, towards writing the rest. “You start feeling [the characters],” Batra states, as his process is to let each step in the filmmaking process deepen and develop the script-writing, allowing the characters to grow and change.

View the full Q&A here:

About the film:

From director Ritesh Batra (LUNCHBOX), Sundance Film Festival Official Selection PHOTOGRAPH is being praised by critics as “a film that will warm your heart.” It centers on a struggling street photographer in Mumbai, pressured to marry by his grandmother, who convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée. The pair develops a connection that transforms them in ways they could not expect.

View the trailer:

Where to see it:

PHOTOGRAPH opens tomorrow, 5/24, at Kahala Theatres.