Island composer scores Seattle director’s film

By Juli Goetz Morser • October 24, 2017 1:30 am
Vashon Theatre will screen “Lane 1974,” starring Sophia Mitri Schloss, on Thursday, Nov. 2, followed by a Q & A with the director moderated by island director John Jeffcoat. (Courtesy Photo)
Vashon Theatre will screen “Lane 1974,” starring Sophia Mitri Schloss, on Thursday, Nov. 2, followed by a Q & A with the director moderated by island director John Jeffcoat. (Courtesy Photo)

Vashon Film Society will present a bittersweet coming-of-age drama, “Lane 1974,” at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at Vashon Theatre.

The award-winning independent film was written and directed by Seattle-based filmmaker SJ Chiro and features a musical score by island composer Jason Staczek.

Chiro, who was raised in the California communes in the 1970s, based her screenplay on the memoir “The Hypocrisy of Disco,” by Clane Hayward, because the story parallels the director’s youth.

“I grew up on the communes of Northern California,” Chiro writes in her director’s statement. “Although at the time I felt isolated and alone, I’ve come to realize ‘outsider’ childhoods were not as uncommon as I had thought. The outpouring of support for this story has been overwhelming. ‘Lane 1974’ addresses themes I can’t shake as a filmmaker: childhood, loneliness and the struggle with the particularly American concept of independence. ‘Lane 1974’ shines a spotlight on an intense time in American history that has been swept under the carpet.”

The entire film was shot on location in the wilds of Northern California.

“We went back to the land I grew up on for the specific light, the golden grass, the redwoods, the rolling hills, the fog and the vast ocean of my memory, to illuminate a hidden girl’s life during the turbulent, troubled year of 1974,” Chiro wrote. “Although a period piece, this film is more relevant than ever as we as a culture begin to challenge the helicopter parenting that has become the norm, and as we challenge our societal embrace of coddled lifestyles, overly dependant on technology.”

The film stars 12 year-old Sophia Mitri Schloss, who the director calls “a profoundly intelligent, talented young actress.”

“Lane 1974” premiered at SXSW earlier this year and won the Grand Jury Winner prize for Best New American Cinema at the Seattle International Film Festival in June. Chiro will attend the Film Society screening, and a Q & A will be moderated by Vashon director John Jeffcoat.

The film is unrated and runs 79 minutes. Tickets are $9 general admission, $8 for seniors (60+) and juniors (12 and under).