Interview with Lance Hammer

We caught up with first-time director Lance Hammer at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to chat about his award-winning film, Ballast which opens in theatres October 1st. In spite of the long odds, Hammer bravely chose to self-distribute his award-winning indie drama, and word-of-mouth buzz has been helping him as much as the critical accolade.

Hammer spoke with us about his interest in the tonal environment of the Mississippi Delta, the relationship between editing and architecture, and how he chose the local, nonprofessional actors whose performances carry the film.

The Film: In the cold, winter light of the rural Mississippi Delta, Marlee, a single African-American mother, struggles to scratch a living for herself and her 12-year-old son, James, who has begun to stumble under drug and violence pressures. So when the opportunity to seek safe harbor at a new home arises, she grabs it, even though the property is shared by Lawrence, a man with whom she has a long and bitter past. With circumstances thrusting them into proximity, a subtle interdependence and common purpose emerge for Marlee and Lawrence, as they tend to old wounds, test new waters, and tentatively move forward.

BALLAST opened at New York City's Film Forum Wednesday October 1st.

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