Warren Miller Entertainment looks forward to celebrating ’75

Warren Miller Entertainment It celebrates the 75th anniversary of winter sports movies with its latest film simply titled “75”.

Director Josh Haskins said the film, which will be shown in Park City on Nov. 2, pays homage to the past but also focuses on the future.

“One of our primary focuses has been to look at what the future of skiing and snowboarding will look like over the next 75 years,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of examining what sports looks like over the decades. “So this year we were able to look ahead and work with some athletes we haven’t worked with before.”

One of those athletes is Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, who appeared in an episode called “The Unfolding” with his coach JJ Thomas and up-and-comer Toby White. Park City Mountain.

“Shaun is a true rock star in snowsports and it was an honor to work with him, especially in Park City, where he spends much of his time training and perfecting his skills,” Haskins said. executive producer for Outside Studios.

According to Haskins, “One Up” shows White, Thomas and Miller trying to pass each other on the final run of the day.

“I think we shot the first week of March,” he said. “We had a major snowstorm, which sidetracked our plan to shoot a mostly terrain park-focused episode because we had all of the fresh snow and blizzard conditions.”

Haskins and his team couldn’t control the weather, so they switched gears.

“We focused it more on a purely mountainous piece, which I think worked out better,” he said. “We had more variety in snowboarding action and were able to showcase Park City Mountain more comprehensively. It really worked because our athletes were so flexible and adapted quickly to the situation. So the combination of athletes, location and story really worked.”

While Haskins enjoys shooting in locations he’s been to before, like Park City, he also enjoys exploring new places like Montafon in Austria’s Arlberg Region, where the “Going Mastiff” portion of the film is set.

“It’s the hometown of Max Hitzig, one of the skiers in the movie, and that really surprised me,” Haskins said. “Although it is a small village and valley, the ski infrastructure is very extensive. There is a fantastic network of trams and cable cars and access to the entire mountain range. Sometimes you don’t expect much when you come across these small ski towns. But ultimately they become an incredibly vast and magnificent land.

Even though Hitzig is a fairly new and unknown opponent, he’s already established a reputation in his hometown for how deftly he can maneuver, and he’s exactly the kind of newcomer Haskins was looking for for the film.

“That’s what these movies are about,” he said. “We cannot make a movie without the cooperation and amazing talent of the athletes.”

Although Warren Miller Entertainment has also built a great reputation in the winter sports scene, Haskins said they still rely on other filmmakers and studios to connect them with talent.

“This year we’ve been able to reach some creative filmmakers that we haven’t necessarily worked with in the past, and while collaborating with filmmakers like Sherpa Cinema, Frame (Movies), Selema Masekela And Real Skifi“They’re going to bring with them some great rosters of athletes that we wouldn’t necessarily have access to,” he said. “This year has been beneficial.”

While Haskins wasn’t surprised by the caliber of talent on “75,” he was stunned to see them on the big screen.

“I still get emotional and I still admire these athletes,” he said. “Working with athletes that we haven’t worked with in the past, I think is how we look at doing things differently going forward.”

Moving forward is another theme of “75,” and it’s personified in the episode “Alpine Rhapsody” featuring skiers Mark Abma and Noah Maisonet at Mica Heli in British Columbia.

Haskins said the film was inspired by Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and was produced by Sherpas Cinema.

“This was an incredible episode and it was incredible to work with this talented film crew who have amazing imagination and amazing filmmaking execution,” he said. “We loved how it was added to the story, and it might have been a bit of a turn-off for people in the audience. But from what I’ve seen from the audience, people are enjoying it.”

He said the segment tugged at heartstrings because it was about passing on the love of skiing and snowboarding to future generations.

“Beyond looking to the future, our film is more about generations, which is a tradition in Warren Miller films,” Haskins said. “I remember growing up and watching these movies every year in Upstate New York with my family. “It’s incredible that we were able to tie that into the themes of this film and our film tour where you see generations of families emerge.”

Haskins began his filmmaking career 25 years ago at Warren Miller Entertainment.

“Warren’s son, Kurt Miller, hired me in the winter of 2000,” he said. “We were shooting on film back then and the technology was very different. But the values, fundamentals, and foundations of film were more or less similar to the way we make films today. “We’re still focusing on great athleticism, ski and snowboard action, incredible destinations around the world, and heartfelt stories.”

Maintaining quality and meeting audience expectations are just some of the challenges Haskins faces in making a new Warren Miller film.

“Overall, continuing the legacy of Warren Miller Entertainment, a 75-year-old brand, is a huge responsibility and I take it very seriously,” he said. “I feel it is my duty as a producer to maintain the amazing production value that movies bring year after year and deliver the quality experience audiences expect.”

Part of that responsibility, Haskins said, is knowing when to pull things back before the film becomes a caricature of the films that came before.

“There is always a balance that we need to look at and recognize,” he said. “We have done a lot over the years almost everywhere in the world. Therefore, it is not always easy to find new perspectives and new ideas. A big part of our production team’s job is finding these stories, new faces, and new places we probably haven’t been to. “At the same time, we try not to fall back on old habits, old tricks, or offer a product that might seem too familiar.”

Haskins is trying to adjust his schedule so he can come to Utah for the screening of “75,” but even if he can’t make it, he hopes people will enjoy the movie.

“We love performing in Utah, and we love our fans there,” he said. “We are all excited to start winter.”

Warren Miller ’75’

Additional impressions:

• Monday, October 28, Peery’s Egyptian Theatre, Ogden
• Tuesday, October 29 SCERA Clark Grand Theatre, Orem
• Wednesday, October 30 Ellen Eccles Theatre, Logan
• Thursday, November 1 Warehouse, Salt Lake City
• Internet: warrenmiller.com/film-tour