documentary | Lucid Visual Media

“Sam Now” made its National TV Premiere as part of PBS Independent Lens in May, followed by its VOD release in June. After winning 15 awards at film festivals worldwide, the critically acclaimed documentary is now available to watch on demand via Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, VUDU and The Criterion Channel. Educational and institutional distribution via GOOD DOCS.

“Sensitive and surprising… a film whose emotional reality seems to evolve before your eyes…”
– Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times Critic’s Pick

What do two film-obsessed brothers do to solve a family mystery? Using every video format imaginable, director Reed Harkness and his brother Sam make a movie as they travel thousands of miles looking for their missing mom. But solving the mystery of her disappearance is only the beginning of their story. Stitching together 25 years of home videos and filling the gaps in the archive with play, SAM NOW is a mosaic of love and an attempt to overcome intergenerational trauma.

“Remarkable not only for its powerful subject matter and the restrained, intelligent way it examines its key players, but for how it simultaneously reaches the audience and everyone involved in the story… This is one of the year’s best films.”
– Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

Featured Festivals and Awards include:

Best Documentary – Documentary Film Competition, The Golden Eye | Zurich Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature & Best Editing | Bend Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature & Best Director | SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature & Best Poster – Audience Award | Indie Memphis Film Festival
Best Documentary | Santa Cruz Film Festival
Northern Feature Jury Grand Prize | Klamath Independent Film Festival
Best Documentary Feature | Gig Harbor Film Festival
Best Documentary | Victoria Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary | Barnes Film Festival UK
Best Editing Nomination | IDA Documentary Awards
Achievement in Pacific Northwest Filmmaking Nomination | Seattle Film Critics Society
Special Jury Commendation | Port Townsend Film Festival
Special Mention – Youth Jury | FrontDoc International Documentary Festival
International Spectrum Competition | HotDocs
Official Selection | Doc NYC

More information and resources at samnowmovie.com

“Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey” has released to critical acclaim, winning 26 festival awards and rising to the top of the iTunes charts in the Sports and Documentary categories. It is a member of a select group of films to receive a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hailed as one of the most prolific and influential climbers of all time, Fred Beckey has become a cult hero in the outdoor world. His mountaineering accomplishments are unmatched. He eschewed fame, money and family life so his only obligation would be the next summit. This untamable athlete conquered more unclimbed peaks than anyone in history during his 80-year climbing career, staying myopically focused on the mountains until his death in 2017 at age 94. Spoken in hushed tones around campfires, Fred Beckey’s name has evoked simultaneous adulation and vitriol since the 1940s. He pioneered the lifestyle of the freewheeling American “Dirtbag” — one who forgoes material comforts and defies societal norms to pursue a nomadic life of outdoor adventure — leaving a long trail of scorned climbing partners and lost lovers in his wake.

A scholar and author of essential climbing guides, an environmentalist ahead of his time, a polarizing figure and an inspiration to all who yearn to live life on their own terms, this iconic mountaineer has remained shrouded in mystery until now.

Tag Archives: documentary

“Sam Now” premieres on PBS Independent Lens and The Criterion Channel, winner of 15 film festival awards and a Critic’s Pick in The New York Times

“Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey” wins 26 festival awards, tops Rotten Tomatoes and iTunes charts