Zac Ramras is a self-made man. Originally from Salt Lake City, he packed up and headed to Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado College and got together with his friends to make his film dreams come true. With Ramras acting as producer, he and his comrades founded Sweetgrass Productions. This Thursday at Salt Lake City’s Level Nine Sports Warehouse, Ramras will take one more step towards his movie aspirations with the premiere of his film “Valhalla” Sweetgrass’ fourth feature production.
“It started with us going on ski vacations and filming each other,” Ramras said. “It got more serious and evolved over the years, so we decided to make a film we could take on tour.”
Watching ski footage for 60 minutes may not be a new concept, but what sets “Valhalla” apart is its promise to offer a narrative take on the genre.
“We grew up on the standard ski film format, but we felt there was something that was missing from the genre and we are all movie buffs and wanted to bring a cinematic quality and narrative aspect into the outdoor sports film.” Ramras said.
The story follows a man named Conrad as he sets out to rediscover the freedom of his youth. He does so by journeying to the north, where he finds a hippie commune, whose presence enables him to embrace a childlike attitude.
Another interesting aspect of the film is the way Sweetgrass Productions is going about releasing it. Rather than submitting it to festivals and theaters, they are instead touring around the country to bring the film to their audience.
“[When] our first film started out, we took it to the road and that’s the way we knew how to get it out there. We were in our Dodge Colt, and started showing it in small coffee shops and ski shops. As our brand grew and our audience grew, we got more screenings. With ‘Valhalla,’ we have over 60 stops in North America and over 300 worldwide. For this film, this past year we fixed up a 1980 Crown Bus and took that out to tour. It’s just the best way we know how to get the word out and meet people, be on the ground and actually talk to people that we were looking to affect,” Ramras said.
In the tired outdoor sports film genre, you rarely get any sort of fresh take on the normal format. Ramras and Sweetgrass Productions hope to change that mindset and push the limitations of what can be achieved in the genre. They hope to create a film that can be enjoyed by an audience outside of the ski bum community. “Valhalla” promises to show people something rarely seen before in the ski film genre.
“I think I want to make it clear to the public this is more than just a ski film, this is a film that your grandmother and father could enjoy. It’s an incredibly powerful film that can entertain [a versatile audience],” Ramras said.