‘YouTube America’ in Liberty, NY

Posted 8/21/12

LIBERTY, NY — Famous comedian and actor David Cross has made an independent comedy about, and based in, Liberty. The film is called “Hits,” and it’s about a girl who lives in Liberty and is …

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‘YouTube America’ in Liberty, NY

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LIBERTY, NY — Famous comedian and actor David Cross has made an independent comedy about, and based in, Liberty. The film is called “Hits,” and it’s about a girl who lives in Liberty and is trying everything she can to become famous. Meanwhile, her dad shows up at a Liberty town meeting and makes a scene, complaining about the rampant pothole problem in the town. A video of him yelling at the town board is passed along to a group of hipsters, who share the video on YouTube—and it goes viral. Thus, he becomes famous while his daughter is still trying in vain to do so. The title of the film refers to the hits a video gets as it becomes viral, or widely viewed. The film is described as “a dark, independent comedy exploring the nature of fame in 21st Century YouTube America.”

Cross is probably most known for his role as Tobias Fünke on the cult-favorite sitcom “Arrested Development.” This is his directorial debut. The film stars Cross’s cast-mate on “Arrested Development,” Michael Cera, as well as Matt Walsh, James Adomian, Meredith Hagner, Jake Cherry, Derek Waters, Amy Sedaris and Wyatt Cenac. It was shot in Liberty and reportedly also used locals.

The trailer from the movie was recently released, and the film itself will have a release date in February. It already debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews, including Screen Daily calling it “a sharp, edgy satire.” The tagline of the movie is “Based on a true story… that hasn’t happened yet.”

Cross has also started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $100,000. As of press time, the campaign raised $56,504 and there are 22 days to go. He decided to raise money for the film rather than going through producers and distributors so that the artists can get paid directly. The Kickstarter page says, “We went to Sundance, and while we received offers from some great distributors, their plans with the film were a little lackluster... so we decided to release it ourselves in an unusual way, as an experiment!”

With the Kickstarter model, donors receive rewards for their contributions. For example, if you pledge $200 you will receive a “personalized, mixed CD I will make exclusively for you. You and you only. Imagine it’s 1996 and I’m courting you.”

Cross and his wife, actress and poet Amber Tamblyn, have ties to the area. For more information, to view the trailer, or to donate, go to www.kickstarter.com/projects/1573560609/hits-a-film-by-david-cross.

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