Someday I’ll write an article about why I fell in love with independent film. In this article, I’ll try to tell people what it is that’s so unique about a handcrafted film featuring real people. I’ll want to talk about how personal passion drives projects, how they become film, and all the special innately human situations encountered in the process. Especially important is how people give up several years of their lives to create a true story and film it.
The ideal independent film would be unfiltered and it would probably have to be a story that would include how the making of this film changed their lives and the lives of the people around them and held within it the kernel that could change other people’s lives—the kernel of a great story is transformative, for the participants and the audience.
It’s this kernel, this genuine human experience with all of its imperfect texture, that we seem to crave as humans. Independent film first and foremost for me is about sharing a deeply human experience and all the many qualities that this encompasses.
Recently released “Salt from Bonneville” has all of these qualities. Just think about it — two guys from Ukraine decide to rebuild a 1951 Russian 350 cc motorbike and then once built, challenge the vintage record on the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week. This tale of course encompasses moving from one part of the world to another with highly technical, fragile irreplaceable equipment through several layers of bureaucracy and asking for something that most likely, no one has ever done. It’s a film that’s as much about the journey as the process. The outcomes are still changing as Ukraine is now at war. Mechanics, riders, and a motorcycle find themselves in America with a great story and an ending that is unexpected. Asked about their intention in building the bike and bringing it to Speed Week, Nazar said it was his and Max’s intent to make some good news about Ukraine and give people some hope. This film and its record-making run were covered by virtually all Ukrainian networks, winning recognition through online screening with Docu Days UA, Kharkiv Meet Docs, and Kyiv International Film Festival.
Whether you find yourself at the Onyx Theatre, the Onyx Downtown, at an independent film festival or perhaps streaming something online, I encourage you to remember the value of an independent voice, ready to tell you a great story. Independent documentaries sometimes hold that slightly magical kernel that keeps us remembering how wonderful slightly off-kilter cinema can be.
Published in Kernel, The Onyx Theatre’s Zine, Fall 2022