INDIE FEATURE...FEATURES

 TRONA 

"ONE PART SUGAR" shoots

 four weeks in Mojave High

 Desert

(Ridgecrest)---For writer-director Hart Bochner there was always only one location for his latest feature film "ONE PART SUGAR."   That location was Trona, CA, a dusty little "company" town 25 miles northeast of Ridgecrest that has survived on the mineral surface mining industry for most of the past century.

Bochner met the town nearly a decade ago while starring in the suspense drama "Break Up" with Kiefer Sutherland and Bridget Fonda.  Over the next few years he created the script that ONE PART SUGAR producer Clifford Werber ("A Cinderella Story") describes as "a compelling and comedic film about human predicament and resolve." 

Almost two years ago local Ridgecrest film commissioner Ray Arthur and location scout Lori Balton scoured Trona and the neighboring desert, photographing potential locations for Bochner's project.  And director Bochner ("High School High, PCU") stayed in touch as all the other elements came together.  Finally last February Arthur got the call from Bochner that he and his movie were coming to Ridgecrest and Trona on April 1^st for four weeks.

ONE PART SUGAR stars Danny DeVito ("Taxi", "Romancing the Stone", "Batman Returns") as Merl, a stranger who comes to town with plans of revitalizing the once thriving burgh, Dylan Walsh ("Nip/Tuck", "Blood Work") as Ray, a young man who returns to the hometown of his youth, and Justin Long ("Dodgeball", "The Break-Up).  Also featured are Katey Sagal ("Married With Children", "8 Simple Rules"), Jonah Hill ("Evan Almighty"), Tracy Middendorf ("24", "The Practice") and Melissa McCarthy                    ("Gilmore Girls").

Bochner, also known for his acting talents having starred in over 30 films including "Die Hard", "Apartment Zero" and "War and Remembrance", chose to stay behind the camera after penning the script.  He shot over two dozen locations in Trona and Ridgecrest including private homes, businesses, roads and the Trona Pinnacles. 

Film Commissioner Arthur noted that Bochner also strived to use as many local citizens as possible for both crew and background cast, "there was always a personal touch and involvement on Hart's part.  This movie shines a positive light on Trona, a community which experiences that all too infrequently, and Hart included the local involvement and flavor whenever possible in the production."

The Ridgecrest Regional Film Commission estimates that during its 24 day "on location" production, ONE PART SUGAR generated just over $1.1 million in local revenue to the greater Ridgecrest area.  ONE PART SUGAR will be released theatrically later this year.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Attached are two photos taken "on location:"

Actor Dylan Walsh (in car) and crew, setting a scene in Trona.

(left to right): Director Hart Bochner (seated), actors Dylan Walsh, Danny DeVito, Tracy Middendorf and Chelsea Field rehearsing a scene in Ridgecrest.