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Hobo Film Fest
Trains may not be North Americans' preferred mode of transportation, but that doesn't mean they don't have their devoted fans. Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson have all sung about them. Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, and William Vollmann have written about them. A homage to the joys of riding the rails, and not from first class, but from the freight car, where such travel iofficially forbidden.
Shawn Lukitsch is at the helm of the Hobo Film Festival. Simply put, this fest is a collection of documentaries that celebrates hobo and tramp culture in the U.S. And if you're wondering what the distinction is between hobo and tramp, Lukitsch, 32, points out that the former refers to those who hop trains in search of employment, while the latter group is motivated mainly by wanderlust. Both relate to the sense of romance and adventure in hopping freight trains for their travel.
Lukitsch knows from what he celebrates. He is a seasoned train-hopper himself. Though he makes his own docs on the experience, his Hobo Film Festival, which runs three hours, showcases the work of other pioneers in the field. Like Erik Burke (Road to Colossus), Bobb Hopkins (The Great American Hobo), Shana Lawton (Slack Action) and Brian Paul Higgins (Listerine on Sundays). The aforementioned works, as well as a dozen more films to be shown at the fest, are shorts.
Also on display are the striking photos of Lukitsch's buddy, Hans Hansen, who will be on hand here. But the highlight of the event is the presentation of John Davis's 90-minute feature Hobo.
Train-hopping goes back to the dark days of the Great Depression, 80 years ago. For many, it was the only form of free transport available to bring them to employment opportunities elsewhere. And word is that current economic climes have resulted in an upsurge of train-hopping again.
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