Indie film 'Touch the Water' opens Nov. 3 on 12 screens, including Farmington's Animas 10

When independent filmmaker Travis Holt Hamilton announced plans in August to release his latest movie, “Touch the Water,” in November, he expressed the hope that he could find at least one commercial theater screen in the Four Corners region where the project could make its premiere.

As it turns out, he needn’t have worried.

“Touch the Water” will open on Friday, Nov. 3 in 12 theaters, including two in New Mexico — the Animas 10 theater in Farmington and the Red Rock 10 theater in Gallup.

“Yep, it’s exciting,” Hamilton said Oct. 19 while completing the final edits on his new character-driven drama, the sixth film of his career.

Hamilton’s most recent narrative film, 2015’s “Legends from the Sky,” opened on eight screens, his widest release until now. He said there are a number of marketing challenges that go along with opening a movie in so many locations.

“It’s a lot more responsibility, a lot more work that goes into that,” he said. “But, at the same time, I realize Hollywood studios open on 3,500 or 4,000 screens, so that kind of puts it in perspective.”

Hamilton’s work may not have reached that level yet, but the 12-screen opening is a significant achievement for him, all the same. While he may not be Native American himself, Hamilton — the film's writer, director and producer — specializes in creating low-budget, family-friendly films that feature largely indigenous actors and focus on Native themes.

“Touch the Water" is no exception. It was made for a little more than $47,000 — his largest budget yet — and features several first-time performers, including its star, Perci Ami, a Hopi woman Hamilton met years ago at a conference on aging in Fort McDowell, Arizona.

Hamilton prides himself on providing acting and film production work for indigenous people, and he notes that all the folks who act in his movies receive a paycheck, even if they are newcomers to the industry. He has estimated that between 115 and 120 Native actors — many of them Navajo — have made their acting debut in one of his films with a speaking part.

The Nov. 3 opening also means “Touch the Water” will open at the beginning of National American Indian Heritage Month. Hamilton hopes that turns out to be more than a happy coincidence, explaining that if Native movie fans turn out in significant numbers to see “Touch the Water,” it could help pave the way for him to release a new film every year in November.

“This is a vision I’ve had for years,” he said. “I want to release at least one movie a year, and I want to do it the first weekend in November. I feel like that’s coming to fruition with this.”

But getting his small, indie films booked in cineplexes around the country is an uphill battle, he said, and Hamilton will need some help if “Touch the Water” is to find an even wider audience. He said the film will play at least one week in Farmington and Gallup — it also is booked in Tempe, Casa Grande, Flagstaff, Avondale, Page, Prescott Valley, Scottsdale, Tucson, Yuma and Lakeside, Arizona — and its opening-weekend ticket sales will determine whether it gets a longer run.

“Monday morning is when they make that decision,” he said, noting that any tickets sold after Sunday likely won’t have much of an impact on whether “Touch the Water” gets held over for another week.

Hamilton said his previous films have performed best in Farmington and Gallup, and he is eager to see how “Touch the Water” fares in those two markets. He is eager to bring the film to other markets in New Mexico, especially Albuquerque, but he also said is open to the possibility of showing it in the southern part of the state, including Las Cruces, Roswell and Carlsbad.

He encouraged residents there who are interested in seeing the film to reach out to their local theater owners about “Touch the Water.”

“One voice makes a difference,” he said, explaining that theater general managers place a lot of stock in audience feedback about film preferences. “Image what it would be like with five, 10 or 15 people reaching out.”

The film will make its world premiere at 6 and 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at the Harkins Arizona Mills 18 theater in Tempe. The cast and crew will be in attendance. Visit holthamilton.com for ticket information.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: 'Touch the Water' latest project for filmmaker Travis Holt Hamilton