Adjunct Professor, Jonathan Fine, Announces the Release of the Newest Film for which he Music Supervised, BACKSEAT. In BACKSEAT, a 'coming of age late' story about prolonged adolescence, two old friends flee New York City on a three-day road trip to Montreal to escape their problems and meet the great Donald Sutherland. Between running drugs and meeting a man who only communicates through instant messaging, they run head-on into the always lingering problem of real life.
Directed by award-winning commercials director, Bruce van Dusen (who wrote and directed the Sundance hit COLD FEET) and written by and starring newcomer Josh Alexander, BACKSEAT is an off-beat and refreshing indie comedy about generation X as it struggles through prolonged adolescence and into adulthood. With a cast of truly wonderful up-and-comers (Will Janowitz from The Sopranos, Rob Bogue from Guiding Light, Aubrey Dollar from Women’s Murder Club) and featuring a soundtrack with some of the biggest indie acts currently playing the US music scene, BACKSEAT is an entertaining, and ultimately moving snapshot of a few regular folks struggling to make sense of their lives and what they want from them.
BACKSEAT was produced by Josh Alexander and Terry Leonard (VIRGIN, STEPHANIE DALEY, HOUNDDOG, upcoming Slamdance Feature FROST). The executive producers are Henry Hardaway, Jeff Mooallem, Casey Cummings and Digital Domain’s John Textor. The film features cinematography by Ari J.Issler (acclaimed documentaries THE HIP HOP PROJECT and OFF THE GRID: LIFE ON THE MESA); production and costume design by Amanda Ford (FORGIVENESS, THE HOUSE IS BURNING, LOVE COMES LATELY); editing by award-winning commercials editor Gavin Cutler and longtime Jonathan Demme collaborator Andy Keir (BELOVED, MANDELA, THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS, RODGER DODGER, OFF THE MAP, THE NIGHT LISTENER, THE DYING GAUL, DEDICATION, and Alan Ball’s next film, TOWELHEAD); music supervision by Jonathan Fine and Glen Caplin.
MUSIC PRODUCTION NOTES:
From the get-go, Van Dusen wanted the film to be filled with an indie-rock soundtrack of up and coming bands currently playing the US music scene. First turning to his college-age son Zane – Van Dusen asked Zane to make a mix CD of bands he and his friends liked. When Van Dusen was blown away by the music collected, Zane informed him that many of the songs were by bands he hung out with at school or who played in the downtown scene in Boston and New York City. “Yeah, Dad,” he said at one point. “That band lives in my dorm.” Some of those songs made it into the final film.
When Alexander brought on well known indie label owners and film music supervisors Jonathan Fine and Glen Caplin, it wasn’t long before BACKSEAT had its signature, eclectic indie rock sound.
With a soundtrack featuring Pretty Girls Make Graves, Archer Prewitt, The Rogers Sisters, Andrew Bird, The Downbeat Five, Currituck Co., Kevin Tihista, Goldcard, Quintus, Zigmat, De’ Storm and !!! – BACKSEAT’s soundtrack is a rocking collection of songs from some of the hottest bands playing around the US today.
