Dash Mihok

He has been called a prodigy, an oddity, a mastermind and a miracle. A boy named Todd Simpson from small town Alabama has overcome all odds and has since brought his unique style of blues to the masses. He has graced the stage with legends and will soon enrich the film world through his first acting role in the indie drama “Lifted,” a movie whose storyline mirrors Simpson’s own life.

His chance at the big screen came about as magically as the story of his own life. It just so happened that a documentary filmmaker named Jim Cloutman had been developing a film about Todd’s life. He had been in Alabama, but was back in California at the time things started to fall together. He spoke with “Lifted” writer and director Lexi Alexander, an Academy Award nominee, whose film is about a young boy in Alabama rooted in R&B music. It was one of the first features to be filmed in Alabama under the state’s new entertainment industry incentives. The plot revolves around Henry Matthews, an exceptionally talented young singer, whose happy family life is disrupted when his father, a marine, is re-deployed to Afghanistan and, despite all obstacles, he is inspired to compete in a teen singing competition. When Alexander told Cloutman about the film, he said, “I know that kid. Know him personally. He is from down around Birmingham, Alabama.”
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Despite tough times due to the recession, the state found a way to put more money in the economy and create more jobs. Gov. Bob Riley announced in August that the state is funding its first independent film production for its new incentives program under the Alabama Film Office.

The film, which qualifies for an approximately $153,000 rebate, is directed by Alan Hunter, who thanked Riley and the state for the support.

“We are grateful to be the first project to receive incentives and help grow the entertainment industry in the state,” Hunter said.

Hunter previously worked on other independent films including “Johnny Flynton,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003.

“Lifted,” his current project, tells the story of a talented young man who inspires to become a singer despite hard circumstances, and it will take place around rural Birmingham. The film will star new talent Uriah Shelton of Mobile, Ala., Dash Mihok, former American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, country singer Trace Adkins and Alan Hunter himself.

“‘Lifted’ is a movie about a kid with a big heart and a great voice, and we think Uriah is going to be a big star after this,” Hunter said.

During its third and final week of filming, production has been running smoothly, Hunter said.
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The first time Birmingham’s Alan and Hugh Hunter hooked up with writer-director Lexi Alexander, the results were pretty good.

Their “Johnny Flynton” was a film festival favorite and earned an Academy Award nomination for best live-action short film in 2003.

Six years later, they’re about to do it again. The feature-length film “Lifted” goes into production at the end of next month in the Birmingham area, marking the second collaboration between Hunter Films and Alexander.

“We figured she’d be off to bigger and better things, and we’d never see her again,” says Hugh Hunter. “It was kind of a nice surprise to see that come back on the radar.”

Alexander did go on to bigger films — “Hooligans” with Elijah Wood and last year’s “Punisher: War Zone” — but the LA-based filmmaker was ready to get back down South.
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