RICH HILL Documentary with Tracy Droz Tragos

Guest Bio

Rich Hill, Missouri (population 1393). O! the highway, next to the railroad track. ANDREW, 14, works on his bike, talks dreams with his dad, practices dance moves with his twin sister. He’s just like a lot of American teenagers, except that his days are often also about survival. HARLEY, 15, lives with his grandma and eight other members of his extended family because his mom is in prison for attempted murder. Still, Harley is the first guy in the room to crack a joke and make you laugh when you least expect it. APPACHEY, 13, finds solace in skateboards and, despite his intelligence, has had to repeat the 6th grade, which doesn’t come close to fixing what’s broken in his life. These boys can be tough – they know how to walk with a clenched-jaw stare like they have nothing to lose. But when you get to know them up-close, you see their insight, their humor, and their determination to survive. And despite the isolation and brutality of their circumstances, their hope for a brighter future persists. They imagine that their hard work will be rewarded, and that, although there is no road map or role model, even they can live the American dream.

Tracy Droz Tragos is an award-winning fillmmaker who produced and directed BE GOOD, SMILE PRETTY, which aired on PBS’s Independent Lens and won the 2004 Emmy Award for Best Documentary. She went on to produce the documentary pilot series TRUE AMERICAN STORY, which aired on E! Entertainment Television, and has been a guest lecturer on documentary making at the USC school. Tragos holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MFA with honors in Cinema/Television from USC. Tragos founded DINKY PICTURES, which is currently in development on a personal I’m about aging, faith and her adoptive father’s itinerant ministry, as well as RICH HILL, which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, IDA and IFP.