APRIL 18—A dark comedy about an assassin trying to quit his profession, Hitters Anonymous receives its world premiere during the Palm Beach International Film Festival. Director Monte A.Young, who directed Hitters Anonymous last year in Palm Beach, spoke with Film South Florida.com about the film and its stars, Steven Bauer, Clint Howard and Linda Blair.

Film South Florida: Did you anticipate premiering Hitters Anonymous at the PBIFF when you made the film?

Young: We did. I knew we would start with a local showing and take it from there.

Film South Florida: How did you land such a cast with such familar names as Bauer, Blair and Howard?

Young: The script. It all comes down to the script. The first person I sent it out to was Clint Howard. He called me up and said it was a really good script. He said, “I have a good friend of mine you might have heard of, Linda Blair.” So we got her involved, then Steven, then Michelle [Matheson]. It was a chain reaction. It was very low pay as it’s a low-budget film, but the script was fun for them to do, so they jump aboard.

Film South Florida: Are you hoping Steven Bauer will bring in the Scarface audience?

Young: That’s always a plus. He’s know for that role. This shows a little bit more of his comedic side, but he still has that same intensity.

Film South Florida: How much of a character does South Florida play in a film such as Hitters Anonymous?

Young: If you ever saw the opening scene of The Sopranos, with [Tony Soprano driving], we did the same type of thing just to get a feel of where the location is. A lot of it is set in a basement--it’s about a recovery group, Hitters Anonymous. So I wanted to open the film up and get some of the exteriors in Florida. We went up to Jupiter and shot one night with the Lighthouse in the background to make the visuals as pretty as possible.

Film South Florida: How did you enjoy shooting Hitters Anonymous in South Florida?

Young: It was quite easy. I filmed the entire thing—other than a couple of scenes—in West Palm Beach. The permitting there was simple. It was one-stop permiting. And it wasn’t just locations permitting I needed. There was a lot of special effects—gunfire, stunts, a couple of car crashes—so that special permitting and coordination with the police and the fire department. We needed an ambulance on site. The [Palm Beach County] Film Commission took care of a lot of that, and made my job easier. I had to do was focusing on making the movie.

Film South Florida: What are your plans for the film following the PBIFF screenings?

Young: There are a number of distributors I’m talking to. Everybody worries about distribution, and it’s easy to get a distributor. It’s just getting the right one. You have to be patient. We have a good shot at [going theatrical], so that’s why I’m playing it the way I’m playing it.

Film South Florida: You are based in Palm Beach County. Are you preparing to shoot another film in the county?

Young: I’m writing one right now called Made In China. We’re going to shoot it next year for tow weeks in Palm Beach County, and then seven weeks in China. It’s a comedy about a man in the Witness Protection Program who has a gambling problem, so he keeps getting caught. The FBI can’t hide him. The only way to kep the guy alive—he’s been caught four times in a two-month period—is to put him in the middle of nowhere. One of the FBI agents is Asian American. He comes up with the crazy idea to send the man to his grandparents’ village in China. He’s a fish out of water. We have this Irish man in China.

Film South Florida: No doubt it will be harder to shoot in China than it is in Palm Beach County.

Young: It’s going to take some work.

HITTERS ANONYMOUS:
Times: 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20
Location: Muvico Parisian 20, CityPlace, 545 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach
Tickets: Regular theater matinee and evening prices
Information: (561) 362-0003
Web site: http://www.pbifilmfest.org/films.asp?catID=14

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