News Archive
FIFTH YEAR PRODUCTIONS PARTNER WITH FILM HARVEST TO PRODUCE FEATURE FILM “HAMILL” INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF DEAF UFC FIGHTER, MATT HAMILL
ROCHESTER, NY (Dec. 2, 2009)— Rochester-based Fifth Year Productions is excited to announce its partnership with writer/producer tandem Joseph McKelheer and Eben Kostbar in the production of the full-length feature film Hamill. Hamill tells the story of Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, the Deaf UFC fighter who was a three-time NCAA Wrestling Division III National Champion for the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) during the late nineties.
Written by Joseph McKelheer and Eben Kostbar, and directed by Oren Kaplan, HAMILL creates history as the first ‘Deaf foreign movie,’ and it was filmed in the world’s largest concentrated Deaf population, Rochester, NY. Fifth Year Productions is an area production company co-founded by local businessman Bob Bartosiewicz and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.
“The story really impacted me, and it’s been a privilege to be a part of this project,” said Bartosiewicz.
HAMILL has been created with hearing and deaf audiences in mind, with hopes of bridging the gap between the two cultures. Producers hope to fully capture beautiful elements of American Sign Language and the complex layers of Deaf Culture. The highly anticipated film is expected to debut in early spring of 2010.
"From the first day we began writing HAMILL, I knew we were working on something very special," McKelheer explained. "We poured our hearts into this film, and the entire process has just been an incredibly rewarding experience."
Jim Kelly expressed similar sentiments: “I think this film will captivate the movie-going public. This a true underdog tale, and I think Matt Hamill's story is an inspiration to people of all ages.”
Hamill was inducted into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. On Saturday December 5, 2009 Hamill faces Jon Jones in The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights Finale event in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC is one of the nation’s fastest growing sports, and Hamill is one of the sport’s most popular stars.
For more information on HAMILL, contact Film Harvest’s Joseph McKelheer at (323) 481-8499, Fifth Year Productions’ Operations Director Tim Banach at (800) 398-3029 x216, or visit http://www.hamillthemovie.com.
Fifth Year Productions is a Rochester, NY-based production company that unleashes the creative power of the filmmaking community by empowering writers, directors, and producers to pursue their passions without the limitations of the traditional Hollywood system.
Written by Joseph McKelheer and Eben Kostbar, and directed by Oren Kaplan, HAMILL creates history as the first ‘Deaf foreign movie,’ and it was filmed in the world’s largest concentrated Deaf population, Rochester, NY. Fifth Year Productions is an area production company co-founded by local businessman Bob Bartosiewicz and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.
“The story really impacted me, and it’s been a privilege to be a part of this project,” said Bartosiewicz.
HAMILL has been created with hearing and deaf audiences in mind, with hopes of bridging the gap between the two cultures. Producers hope to fully capture beautiful elements of American Sign Language and the complex layers of Deaf Culture. The highly anticipated film is expected to debut in early spring of 2010.
"From the first day we began writing HAMILL, I knew we were working on something very special," McKelheer explained. "We poured our hearts into this film, and the entire process has just been an incredibly rewarding experience."
Jim Kelly expressed similar sentiments: “I think this film will captivate the movie-going public. This a true underdog tale, and I think Matt Hamill's story is an inspiration to people of all ages.”
Hamill was inducted into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. On Saturday December 5, 2009 Hamill faces Jon Jones in The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights Finale event in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC is one of the nation’s fastest growing sports, and Hamill is one of the sport’s most popular stars.
For more information on HAMILL, contact Film Harvest’s Joseph McKelheer at (323) 481-8499, Fifth Year Productions’ Operations Director Tim Banach at (800) 398-3029 x216, or visit http://www.hamillthemovie.com.
Fifth Year Productions is a Rochester, NY-based production company that unleashes the creative power of the filmmaking community by empowering writers, directors, and producers to pursue their passions without the limitations of the traditional Hollywood system.
Posted on 04 Dec 2009
