Wyatt Maw’s feature debut, Ashland, will screen in competition at DOC NYC. The film’s trailer offers a first look at the documentary, which was shot on Super 16mm over the course of eight years in southeastern Montana, near the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Ashland portrays the hopes and dreams of a diverse group of people through the traditions, triumphs and tragedies of their lives. Maw, an AFI graduate and mentee of Terrence Malick, described the film as a journey that began when he took a summer job on a ranch in the town of Ashland.
Maw said he quickly grew attached to the place, its landscape and the community’s ties to horses and the land. The idea to make a film there came soon after he arrived, he said, and the project has taken almost a decade to reach audiences.
Nonfiction agency INDOX’s Luke Brawley and Kyle Martin, producer of Look Into My Eyes, are executive producers. Brawley said he was excited to join the project and praised its sensory approach.
Sources: Deadline.