The Hammer (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
The Hammer, previously titled Hamill, is a 2010 biographical film about Matt Hamill
, a deaf wrestler and mixed martial artist. Oren Kaplan directs the film based on a screenplay co-written by Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer, who are also the film's producers. Russell Harvard
, a deaf actor, plays Hamill in the film. The Hammer screened at several film festivals throughout 2010 and 2011. The film will be released in theaters on , 2011.
, who was born deaf, in his youth and mostly in 1997, when Hamill is a sophomore walk-on at Rochester Institute of Technology
and wins the first of three collegiate wrestling
championships.
Also in the film are Gavin Bellour, Stephen Dodd, Theodore Conley, Courtney Halverson
, and Susan Gibney
. One of Hamill's former opponents, Rich Franklin
, also appears in the film as a Purdue University
wrestling coach who cuts Hamill from the team.
, who is also deaf. The filmmakers spent over five years developing the project, and they sought out deaf cast and crew members for the film. According to McKelheer, the writers performed "roughly" 75 rewrites to ensure Hamill's support and that the film would not be cheesy. Kostbar was originally intended to play Hamill, but they decided to cast a deaf person as the wrestler to appeal to the deaf community. They first noticed Harvard in his brief role in There Will Be Blood
as the adult son of Daniel Day-Lewis' character but were not sure initially if Harvard could portray an athlete. After additional searching that was inconclusive, they chose to cast Harvard as Hamill.
Kostbar and McKelheer produced the film with their independent film company Film Harvest. For the production, they sought financing and found it with Fifth Year Productions, which was founded by the Farrelly brothers
, Jim Kelly
, and Bob Bartosiewicz. Most of the film was shot in Rochester, New York
, home of Hamill's college, Rochester Institute of Technology
. The film alternates between use of sound and absence of sound as well as the use of subtitles, frequently with words missing.
) Film Festival in November of 2010, where it won a Breakthrough Film audience award and a $5,000 prize. From then to May of 2011, the film was screened at film festivals in Newport Beach, Florida, Miami, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, winning audience awards at each festival. The film will be released as The Hammer in theaters on , 2011. It will be distributed by D&E Entertainment
. The film will also be distributed on DVD, Blu-Ray, and video on demand by ARC Entertainment.
Matt Hamill
Matthew S. Hamill is a retired American wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York...
, a deaf wrestler and mixed martial artist. Oren Kaplan directs the film based on a screenplay co-written by Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer, who are also the film's producers. Russell Harvard
Russell Harvard
Russell Harvard is a deaf actor. He has portrayed the adult H.W. Plainview in There Will Be Blood and will portray professional fighter Matt Hamill in Hamill, a film about his life.-Filmography:* CSI: NY...
, a deaf actor, plays Hamill in the film. The Hammer screened at several film festivals throughout 2010 and 2011. The film will be released in theaters on , 2011.
Plot
The Hammer follows Matt HamillMatt Hamill
Matthew S. Hamill is a retired American wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York...
, who was born deaf, in his youth and mostly in 1997, when Hamill is a sophomore walk-on at Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
and wins the first of three collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
championships.
Cast
- Russell HarvardRussell HarvardRussell Harvard is a deaf actor. He has portrayed the adult H.W. Plainview in There Will Be Blood and will portray professional fighter Matt Hamill in Hamill, a film about his life.-Filmography:* CSI: NY...
as Matt HamillMatt HamillMatthew S. Hamill is a retired American wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York... - Raymond J. BarryRaymond J. BarryRaymond John Barry is an American film, television and stage actor.-Personal life:Raymond John Barry was born in Hempstead, New York . His father, Raymond Barry, worked in sales. His mother, Barbara Barry , was also an actor, known professionally as B. Constance Barry...
as Stanley, Hamill's grandfather - Shoshannah SternShoshannah Stern-Life:She was born in Walnut Creek, California into an observant Jewish and fourth-generation deaf family. One of her grandmothers is a Holocaust survivor. Her hometown is Fremont, California, where she attended the California School for the Deaf, Fremont....
as Kristi, Hamill's girlfriend - Michael Anthony Spady as Jay, Hamill's roommate
Also in the film are Gavin Bellour, Stephen Dodd, Theodore Conley, Courtney Halverson
Courtney Halverson
Courtney Halverson is an American actress who has appeared in various films and television shows.Halverson was born in Orange County, California. She has appeared in such films as Rogues, Sleepwalk, and Freaky Faron. She also provided her voice as the narrator for Disney's series Check This Kid...
, and Susan Gibney
Susan Gibney
Susan Gibney is an American actress. She has 5 older, and two younger, siblings. She moved to Webster, New York at a young age, returned to California to live several times, and again has lived in Webster since 2004. Susan graduated from Buffalo State College in New York with a major in theater...
. One of Hamill's former opponents, Rich Franklin
Rich Franklin
Rich Jay Franklin II is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion.-Background:...
, also appears in the film as a Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
wrestling coach who cuts Hamill from the team.
Production
The Hammer is directed by Oren Kaplan based on a screenplay co-written by Eben Kostbar and Joseph McKelheer, who are also the film's producers. Matt Hamill is played by Russell HarvardRussell Harvard
Russell Harvard is a deaf actor. He has portrayed the adult H.W. Plainview in There Will Be Blood and will portray professional fighter Matt Hamill in Hamill, a film about his life.-Filmography:* CSI: NY...
, who is also deaf. The filmmakers spent over five years developing the project, and they sought out deaf cast and crew members for the film. According to McKelheer, the writers performed "roughly" 75 rewrites to ensure Hamill's support and that the film would not be cheesy. Kostbar was originally intended to play Hamill, but they decided to cast a deaf person as the wrestler to appeal to the deaf community. They first noticed Harvard in his brief role in There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood is a 2007 drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!. It tells the story of a silver miner-turned-oilman on a ruthless quest for wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and...
as the adult son of Daniel Day-Lewis' character but were not sure initially if Harvard could portray an athlete. After additional searching that was inconclusive, they chose to cast Harvard as Hamill.
Kostbar and McKelheer produced the film with their independent film company Film Harvest. For the production, they sought financing and found it with Fifth Year Productions, which was founded by the Farrelly brothers
Farrelly brothers
Peter John Farrelly and Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. , professionally known as the Farrelly Brothers are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones;...
, Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
, and Bob Bartosiewicz. Most of the film was shot in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, home of Hamill's college, Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
. The film alternates between use of sound and absence of sound as well as the use of subtitles, frequently with words missing.
Release
The Hammer, titled Hamill at the time, had its world premiere at the AFI (American Film InstituteAmerican Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
) Film Festival in November of 2010, where it won a Breakthrough Film audience award and a $5,000 prize. From then to May of 2011, the film was screened at film festivals in Newport Beach, Florida, Miami, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, winning audience awards at each festival. The film will be released as The Hammer in theaters on , 2011. It will be distributed by D&E Entertainment
D&E Entertainment
D&E Entertainment is a worldwide independent theatrical film distribution and marketing company founded in 2005 by film and music industry executives Doug Kluthe and Evan Saxon...
. The film will also be distributed on DVD, Blu-Ray, and video on demand by ARC Entertainment.