-------------The Dream Hat------------


Above is "Shoe Suede Blues", a music video of one of the songs from Gene's nearly completed animated feature.

ASIFA-East presents
an evening with Gene Hamm
and the New York area premiere
of his independent feature film,
The Dream Hat.
7 PM, Tuesday, December 13, 2005
The School of Visual Arts
209 East 23rd Street
3rd Floor, Amphitheater
*Q and A with the filmmaker
to follow the screening.
Admission: free!

 

ASIFA PREMIERES GENE HAMM’S FIRST ANIMATED FEATURE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Contact: Hammination
Gene Hamm (707)765-2198
hammination@webtv.net
www.hammination.com

The Dream Hat, had its' first public screening to an enthusiastic audience in San Francisco. Animator Gene Hamm's first feature had a free sneak preview May 11 at 8:30pm in San Francisco at the Varnish Gallery. A question and answer session followed. The event was sponsored by ASIFA-SF (the international animation organization).
The unique fairy tale that boasts nine original songs tells the story of a young boy trying to save a village that has forgotten how to dream. "Children will be entertained by the adventure while adults will appreciate the underlying social satire," says Hamm.
Tired of the endless Disneyesque travesties of classic fairy tales, Hamm created a unique original vision. Hamm single-handedly animated the entire feature, wrote the script, composed the original songs and score, and performed all the voices. “I call it my Yellow Submarine”, says Hamm, who was influenced by features such as Harry Nilson's The Point and Chuck Jones' The Phantom Tollbooth.
In "Dream Hat," independent animator and musical composer Hamm
challenges the viewer to abandon the contemporary world of soulless cartoon
corporatism and return to an age when animated film emphasized content over form. At the same time, Hamm introduces philosophy, irony, wit and important life lessons seldom seen in animation past or present. "Dream Hat" is both fun
and fundamental. Its unadorned melodies and straightforward lyrics take the
viewer to a world not unlike our own, where greed, corruption and
mean-spirited deceit often prevail. But we learn that dreamers like Hamm's
protagonist can give us the power to unleash our sense of right and powers
of imagination against venal forces oppressing the childlike human spirit
in us all. As such, "Dream Hat" does double duty as an allegory about
Hollywood's corporate entertainment industry -- where moguls repackage and
sell us our own dreams -- and life itself, where the pursuit of our daily
bread can lead us away from more important and liberating values.
Gene Hamm has worked in Hollywood on Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings, The Smurfs, Superfriends, and Gumby. He is the creator of the Cartooning Shortcuts, Formulas & Cheap Tricks DVD. His short animated film No Hat, No Mask, No Service won Best of Fest at the Big Muddy Film Festival in Carbondale, Illinois.
Now The Dream Hat is off ot film festivals around the world. Hamm is negotiating dates in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta for upcoming screenings of The Dream Hat.
Look for more updates and information about The Dream Hat at www.hammination.com.


Gene performing final edit of The Dream Hat.

Back to: Hammination Home Page
For More Animation, Click Here.