The historical drama filmed partially in Colrain and Leyden in 2022 is getting something of a homecoming this month when it plays at the Greenfield Garden Cinemas.
“Lost Nation” is slated for a screening at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, followed by a question-and-answer session with director Jay Craven.
“We love the Q&As, because they are about the film and, of course, about the history,” he said.
Kingdom County Productions, which Craven co-founded in Vermont with his wife, Bess O’Brien, wrapped up filming in May 2022, having visited Colrain and Leyden the previous month.
“We’ve been touring it now for two years. We’ve played more than 100 dates with it,” Craven said. “It’s been great. Of the 106 dates, 94 of them have been sold out.”
The film has been screened at small theaters, play companies, museums, commercial cinemas and town halls.
“You name it, we’re playing there,” Craven said, adding that the film has been shown in Shelburne and Lenox. It will likely tour for another year and then be available on streaming services and television.
“Lost Nation” consists of two Vermont storylines during the American Revolution, though they seldom converge. One story is that of Ethan Allen, a founder of the Vermont Republic who headed the Green Mountain Boys, a militia that captured Fort Ticonderoga in New York during the Revolutionary War. Craven said the storyline centers around the Green Mountain Boys and “their fight against big New York landlords, posses, sheriffs and courts.”
The other storyline centers on Lucy Terry Prince, credited as the first known Black poet in English literature. Her husband, Abijah, bought her freedom from enslavement in Deerfield. The two endured racism from their white neighbors, particularly John Noyes, who regularly harassed them and vandalized their property. Prince, who settled with her family in Guilford, Vermont, is regarded as the first published Black poet, though only one poem is known to have survived. “Bars Fight” is a ballad about an attack on two white families by Native Americans on Aug. 25, 1746. The attack took place in an area of Deerfield called “The Bars,” a colonial term for a meadow. The poem, written in 1746, was published in Josiah Gilbert Holland’s “History of Western Massachusetts” in 1855.
Actor Kevin Ryan plays Allen, while Prince is portrayed by Eva Ndachi.
Isaac Mass, who owns Greenfield Garden Cinemas, said he has seen the theatrical trailer and looks forward to watching the film. He mentioned Leyden residents originally wanted to screen the film at its Robertson Memorial Library, but officials ultimately reached out to him to ask if his theater would host instead. Mass said he feels the movie’s storylines, especially Prince’s, will be interesting to locals.
“It’s totally tied into Franklin County. Not all the stories of the revolution have such a close connection to where we live,” he said. “I think it continues our summerlong celebration of America’s 250th.”
Mass said people can purchase tickets at the Garden’s box office, at gardencinemas.net, or on Fandango and Atom Tickets.
The Recorder previously stopped by the film set in Colrain in April 2021, when the crew was working on a scene involving Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen, visiting a general store to “shake some hands and advance his political agenda,” in Craven’s words. During this particular time in history, Vermont was contested territory between New York and New Hampshire. Craven said the eastern side and the mountainous region, especially southeastern Vermont, tended to be pro-New York, while other sections sided with New Hampshire. So, most in Guilford were opposed to Allen’s agenda.
Filming was done at the Pitt House at 8 Main Road, which serves as the Colrain Historical Society’s headquarters and museum. Scenes were also shot in Marlboro, Vermont.
“We did some scouting. You know, we wanted to be as close to the border as possible,” Craven said during a break on set, adding that he was in Leyden about a decade prior to film scenes for a movie starring Bruce Dern. “I became familiar with this part of Massachusetts then, and we did a little more driving around. And there are a lot of great spots. We’re limited because in film … once you choose a location, you like to do as much as possible there.”
The cast and crew stayed on the Marlboro College campus, which closed in the spring of 2020. Craven taught there for 20 years.
“The story, really, is about land and freedom during the American Revolution,” he said of his newest film. “I’m happy with it. I think the performances are good, costumes are great. And the music is out of this world.”
Craven said the musical score was done by Juilliard-trained violinist Mazz Swift. The project also had the assistance of about 45 college students involved with Semester Cinema, an accredited semester-long study-away program that immerses students in every aspect of filmmaking. Craven said students were involved in props and set management, costumes, editing, lighting and other departments.
“Every department had students who played a very significant part,” he recounted.
Lucy Prince’s daughter, Drucilla, is played by Karma Bridges, daughter of rapper and actor Ludacris. Bridges graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta in May 2024.
Craven also mentioned the script was crafted with the help of 17 students working 12-hour days for 15 weeks to conduct research and write.
The film’s trailer can be viewed at tinyurl.com/LostNationTrailer.
