MISSION & OBJECTIVE The Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival (HHM) is the perfect mix of independent film and live indie music. You may not have heard of us yet, but we’ll try to leave you with a lasting impression as we have with past guests. "I don't remember much of my two years going to Hell's Half Mile. That's how much fun I had." – Rider Strong, “Cabin Fever” and two time HHM guest. (note: your experience may vary)
Our taste is eclectic, everything from quirky comedy to hard hitting documentary to super hero film. Our goal is to find "the little film that could" -- a bunch of them -- and bring the filmmakers together to take over the town of Bay City. Our primary concern is community, and the filmmakers who attend our long weekend walk away with lifelong friends and future collaborators.
In the last eight years over 100 directors, producers, screenwriters and actors have joined our growing audience. We provide travel and accommodations to a limited number of filmmakers, plus all-access passes and catered receptions for all attending filmmakers. All venues are within a few block radius and hotels are within walking distance, making it super easy to get around. Visit hhmfest.com for links to the venues and video recaps of the 2012 and 2013 festivals.
We schedule events to help you connect with each other and the local community. Our hope is to provide you with a casual, fun experience, including unique outings that give you a taste of the local flavor. It’s the least we can do in return for providing our festival-goers with great independent cinema. "I've never been to a fest that has such a positive immediate energy like yours, particularly letting the filmmakers get to know each other." - David Spaltro "Things I Don't Understand"
Our hope is to provide you with a casual, fun experience, including a unique outing that gives you a taste of the local flavor. It’s the least we can do in return for providing our festival-goers with great independent cinema. Once you become an HHM alum you’ll receive fee waivers for future projects and all-access passes for subsequent HHM Fests, whether you have a film in our program or not. Additionally, upon selection, your first-year submission fees are refunded, making it easy (and affordable) to submit to another festival. “Hell's Half Mile gives me warm feelings in my heart. The warm feeling in my pants is possibly unrelated. It’s worth every minute and it's the kind of festival that you make movies for.” – Kenny Stevenson, writer and actor, "Love, Sex and Missed Connections".
Filmmakers are encouraged to participate in panel discussions, receptions and other events. Because we are beginning to foster student and local filmmaking, we provide opportunities for guest filmmakers to present a workshop or lecture focused on a specific topic or specialty. Other guests are invited to screen our student and local short films and give constructive feedback to the filmmakers. This type of mentoring helps to strengthen local filmmaking and continue our relationships with area universities.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL After eight years, HHM organizers still have a pretty serious passion for film and work year round to build a bigger and better event. We continue to strive to be an innovative festival for genuinely independent films and original music. This festival is about connecting the filmmaker and the festival-goer. Period. Well, and parties too.
In addition to relentless promotion of films, HHM recognizes and rewards films with jury, programmer and audience awards, some with prizes. Prizes include a cash prize of $1000 for the “Hell’s Half Mile” jury award, as well as other valued prizes. The documentary "Remote Area Medical" was the winner of the first $1,000 cash prize in 2013.
Each year HHM screens great narrative films, like James Duff and Julia Morrison's “Hank and Asha,” audience choice nominee for the 2013 Gotham Independent Awards, and winner of the Hell's Half Mile audience choice award for best narrative. Dan Schechter attended in 2012 with "Supporting Characters" before moving on to direct "Life of Crime" based on a novel from the late Elmore Leonard. Quirky comedies like James Westby’s “Rid of Me” and “The Auteur” have been big hits with HHM audiences. Co-director Mark Covino attended with the international hit "A Band Called Death" which won the HHM "Fest Best" award. Rider Strong has been a guest at HHM with four amazing films over two years, including “The Dungeon Master,” written and directed with his brother Shiloh and winner of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival Best (Online) Short Film. Visit hhmfest.com for complete lists of all films presented in our first eight years.
Some of the great music we’ve had over the years connects our film and music events. Matt Pond PA joined us at HHM in 2010. This same year, screening at the festival was “Lebanon PA,” with original score by Matt Pond and Chris Hansen of Matt Pond PA. Another great band that performed at HHM in 2011 was The One AM Radio, led by Hrishikesh Hirway who also did the original music for the 2012 feature film “Save the Date.” Visit hhmfest.com for lists and links of music previous performers.
HHM, a partnership with the Bay Arts Council, utilizes a unique mix of venues including Bay City’s historic Mayan themed State Theatre, the Delta College Planetarium, and a turn-of-the-century red sandstone former Masonic Temple, saved from demolition by the Bay Arts Council. Likewise, the HHM organizers are looking for the right mix of creative and challenging works to bring to our seriously appreciative audiences. We hope you’ll consider us.
What's with the name?
In the late 1800's, a stretch of Bay City's riverfront was lined with raucous saloons and two-bit hotels where turn-of-the-century loggers and shipmen would go to blow off steam and take in more than a little local color. This strip was known to locals as Hell's Half Mile. "'Hell's Half Mile' was the strip of waterfront where lumberjacks used to go boozing and whoring. Now, a bunch of us from Hollywood go there for a film festival. Not much has changed." – Rider Strong
Time has passed, but the same rough-and-tumble spirit of the day is reborn in the Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival. Today, the city boasts a beautiful downtown riverfront with boutiques, restaurants, theatres, pubs, hotel accommodations and other points of interest....a state of the art planetarium, art galleries, a thriving business community, and an active shipping lane for Great Lakes freighters...Downtown Bay City is alive with activity.
