Story

SYNOPSIS

Filmmaker Miles Matthew Montalbano’s feature debut is the most open-hearted and open-minded political portrait to come down the pike in ages. Written under the influence of Vietnam War–era landmarks Medium Cool and Zabriskie Point, and directed with a nod to the French New Wave, this Bay Area DIY production imagines a trio of responses to the current repressive climate. Mackenzie Firgens gives a screen-melting, star-making performance as the aptly named Hope, a young woman with an undercurrent of vague idealism, an abundance of common sense and no real direction. Her best friend, Francine (a bold, brave turn by Lauren Fox), dismisses any discussion of philosophy and meaning in favor of a live-for-today frenzy of drugs, sex and more drugs. When Hope hooks up with Frankie (Samuel Child), an earnest, likable fellow who’s signed on to a subversive plot to attack an unknown target, the stakes are kicked up a few notches. Brimming with restless energy and a palpable intelligence, and driven by Christian Bruno and K.C. Smith’s probing camerawork, Revolution Summer is an up-close and deeply personal meditation on individual responsibility in the modern age. A provocation spawned by an extraordinarily deep conviction, the film is nonetheless the antithesis of a self-indulgent screed. It abounds with countless small pleasures, from the tasty, spare soundtrack by Jonathan Richman, to gritty glimpses of San Francisco and Oakland, to a tongue-in-cheek cameo by rocker Chuck Prophet. With this sexy, dangerous drama that dances on the razor’s edge between anomie and violence, Montalbano announces himself as a filmmaker to watch.

—Michael Fox, San Francisco International Film Festival

DIRECTOR’S BIO

As a member the San Francisco post-punk blues band Sister Double Happiness, California-born Miles Matthew Montalbano segued into filmmaking by producing and directing the group's no-budget music videos for the Sub Pop label. Montalbano continued making short films, music videos, and documentary work, including a segment for the collaborative anti-war project We Interrupt This Empire (2003). He also produced and directed the Jonathan Richman concert film, Take Me to the Plaza (2003) which was released by Neil Young’s Vapor Records label. His narrative feature debut as writer/director, Revolution Summer (2007), premiered at the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival and was named ‘One of the Ten Best Films of the Year’ and ‘One of the Best Independent Films of the Decade’ in the San Francisco Chronicle. The film has screened at festivals and theatrically world wide, and is being released to home video by Vanguard Cinema.

He is currently is pre-production on A Human Certainty, his second feature film as writer/director.

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SYNOPSIS Filmmaker Miles Matthew Montalbano’s feature debut is the most open-hearted and open-minded political portrait to come down the pike in ages. Written under the influence of Vietnam War–era landmarks Medium Cool and Zabriskie Point, and directed with a nod to the French New Wave, this Bay Area DIY production imagines a trio of responses to the current repressive climate. Mackenzie Firgens gives a screen-melting, star-making performance as the aptly named Hope, a young woman with an undercurrent of vague idealism, an abundance of common sense and no real direction. Her best friend, Francine (a bold, brave turn by Lauren Fox), dismisses any discussion of philosophy and meaning in favor of a live-for-today frenzy of drugs, sex and more drugs. When Hope hooks up with Frankie (Samuel Child), an earnest, likable fellow who’s signed on to a subversive plot to attack an unknown target, the stakes are kicked up a few notches. Brimming with restless energy and a palpable intelligence, and driven by Christian Bruno and K.C. Smith’s probing camerawork, Revolution Summer is an up-close and deeply personal meditation on individual responsibility in the modern age. A provocation spawned by an extraordinarily deep conviction, the film is nonetheless the antithesis of a self-indulgent screed. It abounds with countless small pleasures, from the tasty, spare soundtrack by Jonathan Richman, to gritty glimpses of San Francisco and Oakland, to a tongue-in-cheek cameo by rocker Chuck Prophet. With this sexy, dangerous drama that dances on the razor’s edge between anomie and violence, Montalbano announces himself as a filmmaker to watch. —Michael Fox, San Francisco International Film Festival DIRECTOR’S BIO As a member the San Francisco post-punk blues band Sister Double Happiness, California-born Miles Matthew Montalbano segued into filmmaking by producing and directing the group's no-budget music videos for the Sub Pop label. Montalbano continued making short films, music videos, and documentary work, including a segment for the collaborative anti-war project We Interrupt This Empire (2003). He also produced and directed the Jonathan Richman concert film, Take Me to the Plaza (2003) which was released by Neil Young’s Vapor Records label. His narrative feature debut as writer/director, Revolution Summer (2007), premiered at the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival and was named ‘One of the Ten Best Films of the Year’ and ‘One of the Best Independent Films of the Decade’ in the San Francisco Chronicle. The film has screened at festivals and theatrically world wide, and is being released to home video by Vanguard Cinema. He is currently is pre-production on A Human Certainty, his second feature film as writer/director.
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