The locally made independent film All the Birds Have Flown South, starring North Little Rock native Joey Lauren Adams, wowed a crowd of about 300 during its Little Rock debut the night of June 25 at Ron Robinson Theater.
Many in attendance were friends, family and fans of producer Kathryn Tucker and her husband -- and director of photography -- Gabe Mayhan, both of Little Rock. They also came to support brothers Miles and Josh Miller, both also of Little Rock, who wrote and directed the full-length feature. The well-made All the Birds was conceived by the Millers as far back as 2010 and was filmed over 20 days in February 2014 in central Arkansas.
Post production "took a lifetime," they all agreed, but much credit was given to editor Les Galusha.
"I'm not sure if someone told me on the front end how hard it was to make that I would have done it," Josh Miller said.
"But I'd do it again tomorrow," he added.
The film also stars Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards) and Dallas Roberts (The Walking Dead, Walk the Line).
The feather-friendly name belies the dark story told: A suited suitor (Sparks) meets and falls for a waitress (Adams), who turns out to be a thieving drug addict who is stuck caring for her terminally ill and abusive husband in a dank hotel room. What becomes of the three is anyone's guess until the last minutes of the movie.
Tucker said she is most proud of the film's production quality for what it cost to make, which was just $300,000. Not only was the film made in Arkansas by Arkansans, it was funded by Arkansans, she said.
"We spent on the whole film what most films spend on one day of filming," she later said.
"Also, so many of our crew were trained on this film and have now been able to launch their own careers in the film industry based on the experience they gained working on All the Birds," Tucker added.
The filmmakers are in talks with distributors in hopes of screening the movie at theaters, and/or Netflix, iTunes and other outlets.
From the Robinson stage after the screening, Tucker thanked investors, her parents among them.
"My mom always said when I brought home a project, even back in the third grade, it was a family endeavor," she said.
-- Story and photos by Cyd King
High Profile on 07/03/2016