Heavy Load

Director: Jerry Rothwell
Cast: Michael White, Paul Richards, Simon Barker, Jimmy Nichols, Mick Williams
Format: HDCam   Runtime: 89 minutes
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screening in: 24 Beats Per Second

Screening Times

6:30 PM, Monday March 10th - Alamo Lamar 1
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11:00 AM, Saturday March 15th - Austin Convention Ctr
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everything subject to change

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Synopsis:
Heavy Load are Lewes' answer to the Ramones, a punk outfit subject to the combustible flux of ego, ambition, fantasy, expectation and desire that fuels any emerging band. But they're also, uniquely, made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities, which makes the bands' survival a precarious negotiation between two different worlds: on the one hand the institutional timetable of day centres, work placements and social workers; on the other the chaotic slacker life of rehearsal rooms, studios and gigs. Home life and band-life; from invisibility to stardom of a sort and back again.

Director's Bio:
After ten years as Producer-Director of broadcast documentaries with a focus on arts, mental health and education, Jerry recently co-directed (with Louise Osmond) his first documentary feature, Deep Water (Pathe/FilmFour/UK Film Council), about Donald Crowhurst's ill-fated voyage in the 1968 round the world yacht race, to be released theatrically by Pathe in Autumn 2006. Directing credits prior to this included The Late George Shaw, a half hour film for Channel 4's Art Show series, two short films in the Modern Painters series for Channel 4 and Fact Plus Fiction, a 30 min documentary for the Arts Council/Channel 4. Another strand of Jerry's work has been participatory production, working with people to tell their own stories on film. He played a lead role in developing Hi8us' Projects improvised dramas with young people for Channel 4, in setting up Channel 4's Ideas Factory and in establishing First Light, the Film Council's scheme for young filmmakers which has supported over 500 films. He continues to work with Hi8us, most recently developing a web based digital storytelling project with Roma communities in Slovakia.