Foothills Productions debut film, THE USUAL ROUTE, has had the opportunity to screen across the country for audiences at festivals such as the Academy Award qualifying LA International ShortFest, the West Virginia Filmmakers Festival, and the D.C. Independent Film Festival. In October 2020, The Usual Route completed its’ film festival circuit at the Crested Butte Film Festival, “one of the 25 coolest film festivals in World” rated by MovieMaker Magazine. The Usual Route is available to watch on YouTube.
The Usual Route is based off selections from Steven Dunn’s acclaimed novel, Potted Meat, a reflection on ideas of masculinity, loss of innocence, and the daily ups and downs of life in West Virginia. The short film follows a young man trying to balance the various influences around him as he contemplates his greater ambitions. The Usual Route explores themes of responsibility and choices through the eyes of a teenager entering adulthood in a small town.
CLICK HERE to find out more about Steven Dunn and his novel, Potted Meat, published by Tarpaulin Sky Press.
Screenings and Awards
Crested Butte Film Festival (2020) - Official Selection
WorldFest - Houston International Film Festival (2020) - Remi Award Winner
The D.C. Independent Film Festival (2020) - Official Selection
James River Short Film Showcase (2020) - Official Selection
West Virginia Filmmakers Festival (2019) - Official Selection
LA Shorts International Film Festival (2019) - Official Selection
The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival (2019) - Official Selection
Director’s Statement:
From the start of reading Steven Dunn’s novel Potted Meat, I immediately felt a connection. Dunn was not only from my neck of the woods, he expertly weaved themes of consequences, redemption, and race in his novel without a heavy hand. His prose creates poetry out of the usual and seemingly mundane. The novel subverts stereotypes of the south, while simultaneously capturing the heart of it. Much like my favorite films, Potted Meat, captures a community through language and culture that feels relatable, topical, and real. My intention is to bring that same authenticity from the source material into the film adaptation of his novel.
The Usual Route paints a portrait of a young man trying to balance the various influences around him while contemplating his greater ambitions. I could identify with this character, as a young man raised in a small southern town in West Virginia, surrounded by the multifaceted dynamics of race, class, and community. As I get older, the more I understand how those dynamics not only shaped me but also influenced the stories I want to tell. I am inspired to make films that seek to give a voice to real people and stories, while tapping into universal themes of humanity.
My intent is for The Usual Route to have an ambiguity that accumulates over scenes and a sense of participation that encourages the viewer to find their own meaning in the characters and story. My work is influenced by filmmakers such as David Gordon Green, Andrea Arnold, and Charles Burnett. These storytellers have the ability to bring you into the lives of ordinary people through films that are unpretentious and endearing. There is no agenda in their films, yet these stories are often didactic. These are the sensibilities The Usual Route seeks to embody. I hope to create an entertaining and poignant film that reflects on my southern roots and culture.
Cory C. Warner
