Hannah Takes the Stairs

2007 | 83 minutes | R | IMDb

Directed by Joe Swanberg

Cinematography by Joe Swanberg

Starring Greta Gerwig, Kent Osborne, Andrew Bujalski, Ry Russo-Young, Mark Duplass, Todd Rohal, Kevin Bewersdorf, Kris Swanberg & Tipper Newton

Premiered at the 2007 SXSW Film Festival

New York Times review | New Yorker (DVD review) | Filmmaker Magazine interview

Synopsis

Over the course of one hot post-graduate summer, Hannah (Greta Gerwig) falls precariously in and out of love. A breaker of hearts and chronically dissatisfied, she finds herself drifting away from her newly unemployed boyfriend (Mark Duplass, THE PUFFY CHAIR) and drawn to two of her co-workers, Matt (Kent Osborne) and Paul (Andrew Bujalski, MUTUAL APPRECIATION). Conceived without a traditional script, this triumph of improvisional acting was born from intimate collaboration between director Joe Swanberg (LOL, KISSING ON THE MOUTH) and his cast, which is made up of some of today's most important up-and-coming independent filmmakers. Alternately heartbreaking and hilarious, and featuring stunning naturalistic performances, HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS is a delicate look at friendship, ambition, and the pursuit of happiness that heralds the return of a truly independent form of American moviemaking. (Press Kit - PDF)

Notes

- "Quiet City" director Aaron Katz edited the trailer for "Hannah Takes the Stairs" [via Wayback Machine]

Filmed in Chicago, Illinois

Shot on the Panasonic HVX200

"This Panasonic camera with P2 cards and a P2 store is really great. This is definitely now my favorite way to make movies."
-- Joe Swanberg, Hannah Takes the Stairs Production Journal

Budget: $60,000

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