Growing up in Roswell, filmmaker Dennis Hauck didn’t know he wanted to make movies.
Living in metro Atlanta before blockbuster movies and film studios flocked to the area, Hawks said he knew little about the process of how films were made.
“I don’t even think I knew who was responsible for making movies or what a director was,” he said.
Hauck felt distant from the concept of film, but his passion for creativity would eventually lead him to create movies such as “Too Late,” in select theaters on April 22.
The film, a “skeleton of the private eye genre,” follows a private investigator (portrayed by Oscar-nominated actor John Hawkes) as he searches for a missing woman.
Inspired by 1930s and 1950s films in the genre and the character relationships that they emphasized, Hauck set out to create the film in 2010.
Consisting of five continuously shot segments with no hidden cuts, the film was shot on 35 mm film and will only be shown in theaters that still have film projectors.
While Hauck said he’d never shot 20-minute takes before, he’s only ever shot on film.
Studying film and creative writing at Emory University, Hauck believes he was probably amongst the last of film students to be taught to shoot on film.
“I’m not really interested in digital,” he said.
The director said he also wasn't interested in using "trickery" or "hidden cuts" in "Too Late."
"Many of the great acting moments have been built at least partially through editing," he said.
Using “hidden cuts,” he said, “would’ve felt like robbing our actors of their great performances.”
“I think John Hawkes is one of the best actors [we have] today,” he added.
Showing in theaters in 30 cities, including Midtown Art Cinema, Hauck said the decision to only screen on film projectors was not a hard one. And, it wasn’t a challenge to find theaters that still had film projectors, either.
“The kind of theaters that still have their film projectors are the kind of theaters that would want to show this kind of film,” he said.
Hauck said he’s open to filming a movie in Atlanta at some point. He wrote a script that’s set in Atlanta, but doesn’t know what will come of it.
Still, his career is already influenced by his upbringing in subtle ways.
Hawkes’ character mentioned growing up near a creek in “Too Late,” a nod that Hauck says was a subconscious reference to his own childhood when he lived near Foe Killer Creek.
“It actually ran through [my] neighborhood as a kid,” he said.
He didn’t learn the name of the creek until later in life, but he’s since named his production company, Foe Killer Films, after it.
The filmmaker will participate in a Q&A with fans following the 7 p.m. showing off “Too Late” at Midtown Art Cinema on Friday and Saturday (April 22 and 23). During the Saturday event, singer Sally Jaye, whose live performance is featured in the film, will perform.
If You Go: 7 p.m. April 22-23. $8-$11. Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Dr., Atlanta. Landmarktheatres.com.
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