Bayview Entertainment has tabbed July 25 as the
Blu-ray debut date for writer/director Jim Schneider’s heartfelt tale, Jack and
the Treehouse, starring newcomer Eamonn
McElfresh, who embarks on an impossible mission driven by his heart.
It is always fascinating how movies get made. Sure, sometimes it is a road map, a best-seller
is adapted for the screen, a tent pole film franchise is a ready for another entry
or a super-hot filmmaker is given the green light for anything they desire.
And then there is the long and winding road to a film
production that was inspired by the nugget of a goofy idea that played out some
twenty-five years ago. Julia Butterfly
Hill (aka: Julia Lorraine Hill), was hoisted up a 180-foot-tall redwood tree on
December 10 way back in 1997 and then proceeded to live there for the next two
years to keep it from being cut down.
She won her battle, preserved the tree, which became
a celebrity in its own right.
Jim Schneider was inspired by the story and wanted
to write a screenplay, not necessarily about Hill’s experiences, but about
embarking upon an impossible task — alone and against all odds — and never
giving up.
For years — from the late ‘80s until 2003 — he
worked in the business, on such films as Monkey
Shines, The Silence of the Lambs, Diabolique, Wonder Boys and Thirteen
Days.
While rewarding, his family life was not what he wanted it to be and so
he walked away to live at home (in the wilds of western Pennsylvania) where he
became involved in the local TV access market, producing shows and enjoying life
with his family.
The story about Hill never left him. Yes, it took over twenty-years to become the
writer, producer and director of his vision — true indie filmmaking at its very
best! The result, Jack
and the Treehouse, where a young boy is thrust
into an impossible quest — to save the forest lands his grandfather (played by Cotter
Smith) adored and that his father (Dave Mansueto) must part with … if the
family is to survive financially.
Unlike Julia Butterfly Hill, who had a support
group, Jack has placed himself at odds with his family by taking to, and then defending
his lofty treehouse. Wait him out or force
him down, we all know that it is just a matter of time … except they have
discounted love, faith and resolve.
Jack and the Treehouse found
its way into production in 2019, using local theatre talent and resources —
plus Schneider’s extensive industry experiences — and then to the screen with
festival screenings at both the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival and The
Indie Gathering in Cleveland during August of 2021.
Solid production values (just take a gander at
Schneider antecedents), glowing reviews … all this indie film needed was the
next step, national exposure, and that comes on July 25 with the Blu-ray debut
of Jack and the Treehouse courtesy
of Bayview Entertainment.
You have a choice, a best-seller is adaption, a tent
pole film franchise or an entry from a super-hot filmmaker — all with mega
budgets (how many times have you been disappointed) — or take a chance on a
pure indie delight.
