Gathr Presents: “Big Sur” Sneak Preview

Big Sur - Sneak Preview presented by Gathr Films

General Admission - $10

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SPECIAL GUEST, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JIM SAMPAS, WILL INTRODUCE THE FILM AND HOST AN AUDIENCE Q&A

“an absolutely stunning film”—Jerry Cimino; The Beat Museum

“An elegantly muted take on the midlife ennui of Jack Kerouac’s autobiographical 1962 novel.”—Guy Lodge; Variety

GATHR Preview Series Trailer

Based on the 1962 novel by American literary icon Jack Kerouac, BIG SUR



recounts the events surrounding Kerouac’s three brief sojourns to a



cabin in Bixby Canyon, Big Sur, owned by Kerouac’s friend and fellow



Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The story departs from Kerouac’s



previous fictionalized autobiographical series in that the self-inspired



character is shown as a popular, published author; Kerouac’s previous



works are restricted to depicting Kerouac’s days as a bohemian traveler.





The movie depicts Kerouac’s mental and physical deterioration. Kerouac



is unable to cope with a suddenly demanding public, and is battling with



advanced alcoholism. He seeks respite first in solitude in the Big Sur



cabin, then in a relationship with Billie, the mistress of his longtime



friend Neal Cassady. Kerouac initially finds solace in the Big Sur



wilderness, but is driven by loneliness to return to the city, and



resumes drinking heavily.

Across Kerouac’s subsequent trips to



Big Sur and interleaved lifestyle in San Francisco, he drunkenly



embarrasses Neal by introducing Billie to Neal’s wife, cannot



emotionally provide for the increasingly demanding Billie, and finds



himself increasingly unable to integrate into suburban life. Kerouac’s



inner turmoil culminates in his nervous breakdown during his third



journey to Big Sur, which serves as his farewell to the beat generation.

ABOUT JIM SAMPAS

The Los Angeles Times recently called Jim Sampas “the thinking
person’s producer [who has a] reputation for sticking out of the pack.”
Sampas has produced numerous successful, critically acclaimed projects
receiving coverage in such major news outlets as People Magazine,
Newsweek, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling
Stone, and others. He often sets his sights on major cultural figures
whose works have had widespread impact, and brought new meaning, to
music, film, literature or art culture, including past homages to: The
Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling
Stones.

One of his recent works was the highly lauded documentary film about
author Jack Kerouac entitled One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big
Sur featuring Tom Waits, Sam Shepard, Patti Smith, Amber Tamblyn, and
soundtrack with Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For
Cutie which garnered several NPR segments and The Arlington Theater
screened back in 2008.

After the success of the documentary he decided to work on a
feature film based on the same novel, executive producing Big Sur which
has its New England debut here at The Regent. The feature film is
directed by one of the most celebrated young film makers on the scene
today, Michael Polish, and stars Jean-Marc Barr, Kate Bosworth, Josh
Lucas, Radha Mitchell, Henry Thomas, and Anthony Edwards (ER). It had
it’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to
much acclaim, garnering a theatrical release nationwide November 1st.