“Humpday” actor Josh Leonard and the trio of Tony Award-winning thespians Bill Irwin, Donna Murphy and Norbert Leo Butz have topped off the cast of Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut, “Higher Ground,” currently shooting in upstate New York.
The quartet join the likes of John Hawkes, Dagamara Dominczyk and Ebon Moss-Bachrach for the story based on Carolyn Brigg’s memoirs centering on her journey as an awkward young teenager who grows up lost and finds herself attracted to the world of an American Christian fundamentalist cult among hippies in the 1970s. The novel is described as a “riveting page-turner [in which] Briggs writes with unflinching honesty and the remarkable story she tells cuts to the marrow. Her journey rewards with a clarity of insight that is its own grace and redemption. This is a work that truly enlarges the human spirit.”
Farmiga will excitingly take the lead role in the film which should make for an interesting character study and a return to grittier indie drama roles for the actress akin to her turn in Debra Granik’s “Down To The Bone.” At the same time, it’ll be fascinating to see how she fares behind the camera especially after recently working under the with acclaimed helmers such as Martin Scorsese, Jason Reitman, Anthony Minghella and fellow newcomer Duncan Jones.
“Higher Ground” is being backed by BCDF Pictures with Jonathan Burkhart, Brice Dal Farra, Lauren Munsch and Matt Parker executive producing.
