MATFIELD GREEN — The Hitchin’ Post in Matfield Green will be the site of the premiere of a film about the Kansas Prairie.
John O’Hara, a filmmaker in Wichita, produced the film “Flint Hills: Meditations From a Kansas Prairie.” The film will premiere at the Hitchin’ Post at 3 p.m. March 17 in conjunction with Matfield Green’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
In a phone interview with The Gazette this morning, O’Hara said in late 2005 he was ready to move on to a new project.
“I knew I wanted to do something in the Flint Hills, but I didn’t know what it was.” he said.
O’Hara said he wanted to take a unique angle with the Flint Hills, not a historical piece or a travelogue.
“I kind of just headed out there and started shooting in February ’06,” O’Hara said. “It was a real spiritual experience for me. As long as I have lived (in Kansas) I had only seen the Flint Hills from the pavement driving 75 miles per hour.”
From his experience standing in the Flint Hills, O’Hara said he was inspired to seek out others who had the same experience.
“I began to do some research and found authors, poets, visual artists and musicians and decided to ask them how that area had inspired them and had effected their own work,” he said. “I tried to look to outside sources for ideas.”
Among the people featured in the film are Easter Heathman, Jan Jantzen and Jim Hoy.
O’Hara said he noticed the striking difference between Wichita and the Flint Hills.
“It’s just completely opposite out there,” he said. “Time has no effect out there.”
The broadcast premiere of the film will be at 8 p.m. April 29 on public television.
To view the film on the Web, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDeLvdZ93_Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XknumLLQTXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5d5trhGxY
http://flinthillsfilm.com/