Hal Ashby—the director of “Harold and Maude,” “Shampoo,” “Being There,” “Bound for Glory” and a host of other low-level classics—is one of those people who’s now famous for not being especially famous: he is frequently sung about as someone who is unsung. We did the very same a few years back with this retrospective, and now director Amy Scott is looking to bring him further into the spotlight with a documentary about his life and work. She also has the approval of Ashby’s estate (he died in 1988) with access to his archives, but what she doesn’t have is funding, which is where you come in.
Scott has put together an IndieGogo campaign, and a trailer for the unmade film, in which actors like Jane Fonda and John C. Reilly sing the praises of a man who embodied hippie principles and relentlessly experimented with cinema while never losing a warm and personal touch. The one-time access to the estate’s material makes this an especially exciting idea, and it’s just starting to collect funds—hopefully it gets there. While we wait for it, go track down his back catalogue. For more info on the project, click here.
