A HOME BREWED MOVIE ABOUT CRAFT BEER

Craft Beer began with a group of restless home brewers searching for something real and flavorful; it’s become a global phenomena of taste. That spirit of rebellion and innovation exists in today’s home brewers.

In Long Beach, California, two groups of those home brewers will soon open breweries and bring their beers to the world: a father-son team who grew close over making beer; and a rock star looking for the quiet(?) existence of brewery owner.

With the help of icons Fritz Maytag (Anchor Steam Beer), Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada), Charlie Papazian (“Joy of Home Brewing”), Jim Koch (Boston Beer Company), Sam Calagione (Dogfish), Greg Koch (Stone Brewing), Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing), John Palmer (“How To Brew”), and others, the soul of craft beer is finally revealed. Brewmance is an independently financed, produced, and distributed documentary film by acclaimed filmmaker Christo Brock (Touch the Wall). Follow our story on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.

BREWERS

Brewmance focuses on a couple Long Beach home brewers transitioning to craft brewers - Read on for some more in-depth info on them. In addition, here's a few others we've talked with along the way—strengthening our understanding of the craft brewery movement and brewers' relationships.

TEN MILE BREWING

Dan Sundstrom started his professional life as a photographer specializing in food photography. After a friend introduced Dan to homebrew during a camping trip, Dan was hooked. He, and later with his son, Jesse, began brewing regularly and winning awards in beer competitions. After the passing of his parents, he dedicated himself to opening a brewery that honored his family by bringing the beers he crafts so well to the public.

VISIT THEIR SITE

LIBERATION BREWING CO.

After 20 years as the trombonist in the renowned Ska Band Real Big Fish, Dan began to pursue his other love — beer. As a musician touring the world, beer was an ready commodity backstage, and Dan became an aficionado in the burgeoning craft beer movement. Now a dad, Dan’s become the driving force behind the provocative Liberation Brewing Company.

Together with brewing partner Eric McLaughlin and business partner Michael Clements, Dan plans to bring his musical sensibilities to the world of beer in his home town.

VISIT THEIR SITE

KEN GROSSMAN

SIERRA NEVADA

One of the true giants of the craft beer movement, Ken and a partner opened up Sierra Nevada Brewing in 1981 and has established Sierra Nevada as a bedrock of the craft beer movement.

VINCE Cilurzo

RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING COMPANY

Vinnie, along with wife Natalie, created the iconic beers Pliny the Elder, Blind Pig, and Pliny the Younger and is known for his knowledge of hops.

Greg Koch

STONE BREWING

Greg, along with partner Steve Wagner, created one of the keystones of the San Diego Beer scenes. Stone was also one of the early advocates of independent distribution and remains a force in bringing craft beer to the masses.

FILMMAKERS

CHRISTO BROCK | Director/Producer

Christo Brock is an American Producer, Director, and Editor best known for the iconic swim documentary Touch the Wall, the sports films Spirit of the Marathon and Hood to Coast, and the craft beer documentary Brewmance.

While making Touch the Wall Christo developed a system of independent production and distribution that involved crowdfunding, on-demand theatrical distribution, and direct audience interaction. A story about Olympic swimmers Missy Franklin and Kara Lynn Joyce, Touch the Wall had more than 500 screenings nationwide with an 80% sell-out rate. The film went on to screen on Oprah’s Winfrey’s OWN network, Netflix, and Amazon. It can be found on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon Prime.

Brewmance follows two sets of accomplished home brewers who are looking to open their own breweries in the port town of Long Beach, California. The film is scheduled to debut in 2020.

Christo lives with this wife and son in Long Beach, California.

Sonja Schenk | Editor

Sonja Schenk is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, editor and producer.

She directed the feature-length comedy, The Olivia Experiment, and has written several screenplays. Her short films have been shown in film festivals and galleries across the country. Her producing credits include several prominent television series, including The Bachelor, High School Reunion and others.

Sonja has edited scripted feature films shown at film festivals such as Sundance and documentaries for European and American television. She is also the author of The Digital Filmmaking Handbook and has contributed many articles on filmmaking and technology to various publications.

Mark Orton | composer

MARK ORTON, founding member of the genre-bending acoustic chamber ensemble TIN HAT, has written original scores or contributed music to numerous dramatic and documentary films including NEBRASKA, MY OLD LADY, SWEET LAND, THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, BUCK, FROM THE ASHES, THE GOOD GIRL, THE BOX TROLLS, PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS, Fernando Meirelles’ 360, and Ken Burns’ ROOSEVELTS series.

An alumnus of the Peabody Conservatory and the Hartt School of Music, and the recipient of a Sundance Institute Composer Fellowship, he was nominated Best New Composer by the International Film Music Critics. Mark is a multi-instrumentalist and collector of antique and unusual musical instruments, which he often employs in his scores.

He is a frequent contributor to radio including the programs THIS AMERICAN LIFE and ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and as an arranger has worked with artists including Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Mike Patton, and Madeline Peyroux. In addition to film, Mark composes music for modern dance, radio drama, the circus and the concert hall.

He lives in The Great Pacific Northwest with his wife and son.

Laura Aguirre | Associate Producer

Laura Aguirre is a former entertainment journalist who now works as a film impact producer, mainly focusing on non-traditional and educational distribution. She was the Outreach Coordinator on the female sports documentary "Touch The Wall", about Olympian Missy Franklin. She also served as Screening Tour Manager on the award-winning documentary "She Started It", about women in tech. Laura has also coordinated screenings and built partnerships for the award-winning Autism documentary "Swim Team", the comic book film "COMIX: Beyond the Comic Book Pages", and “And Now, Love,” a documentary memoir on the life and world of Dr. Bernard W. Bail.

Laura is Brewmance's Associate Producer and probably the best person to contact if you have any questions regarding the film. Say hello here: laura@brewmancemovie.com

DAmIan APUNTE | Cinematographer

Hailing from the mountains of Western North Carolina, Damian Apunte discovered his fascination with film through his early obsession with video games, music videos, films, and ultimately, filmmaking as an undergraduate student at The University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Now based in Long Beach, CA, Damian has kindled his creative passion as Director of 4th Street Productions. Throughout his film career he has directed and produced films that have won awards at various local film festivals as well as an international festival in London. With his love for cinema and community, he’s undertaken numerous influential roles both in his educational and professional careers such as: President of LBCC Filmmakers Association, Lead Film Coordinator for The Art Society of Long Beach, President of the Long Beach Film Festival, and the Director of Production for the Long Beach Film Foundation.

Lauren Atchison | Assistant Editor

From the Bay Area to San Diego, Lauren permanently landed in Long Beach/Los Angeles to pursue her career in film and television. When not upside-down in a handstand or yoga class, Lauren can be found immersed in the film production process in either the Camera, Art, Post Production, or Stunt Department.

Lauren has served as Vice President and Director of Video Content for Séchoir.tv, and Preditor for Parsel Magazine. She has also worked on several projects ranging from narrative and documentary films; television; the fashion and beauty industry; and music videos including Justin Bieber. Passionate about all-things storytelling, Lauren is currently our Assistant Editor on Brewmance and loves learning all about beer and the people who make it. And she hopes that you do, too!