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Oregon Made Film About Father/Daughter Living in Forest Park Premieres at Sundance

Actor Ben Foster and Actor Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie attended the World Premiere of Leave No Trace by Debra Granik, at the Premieres program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. © 2018 Sundance Institute | photo by Stephen Speckman.

Park City, UT. Leave No Trace premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Director Debra Granik adapted the screenplay for the film with her writing partner, Anne Rosellini, from the Peter Rock novel, My Abandonment, which was based on the true story of a father who lived with his teenage daughter in Forest Park for four years.

Ben Foster plays the role of Will, a veteran, and Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie his daughter, Tom. (Photo credit, Stephen Speckman)

Producer Anne Rosellini, Director Debra Granik, Producer Linda Reisman, and Producer Anne Harrison attend the World Premiere of Leave No Trace. (Photo credit, Stephen Speckman)

Director Debra Granik is best known for the 2010 film, Winter’s Bone, which received four Oscar nominations and launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence. (Photo credit, Stephen Speckman)

Actor Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie attends the World Premiere of Leave No Trace. Critics are heralding her talent. (Photo credit, Stephen Speckman)

Here’s a trailer for Leave No Trace:

The film follows the true story of the pair as they inhabit a cave shelter in Forest Park, wash in a nearby creek, store perishables at the water’s edge, use a makeshift septic system, tend a garden, even keep a library of sorts. Once a week they leave their camp to buy groceries and otherwise merge with the civilized world.

Ultimately, a backcountry jogger discovers them, which derails their entire existence, and ultimately provokes a deeper flight.

The North American distribution rights for Leave no Trace were obtained by Bleecker Street and a release date will be announced later this year.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.