DITCH THE VAN (2017)

A reflective short film on musician Ben Sollee’s music tours by bicycle. Since 2009, the cellist has traveled over 5,000 miles by bicycle discovering the beauty of limitations.

Cellist, singer-songwriter and political activist Ben Sole spent a lot of time on whirlwind tours, flying over and driving through America’s towns and cities. he was becoming burnt out, and his health was suffering. So he bough an Xtracycle cargo bike, strapped his cello to it and set off on a five-year, 5,000-mile journey. His Ditch the Van tour brings hardships, like broken wheels, tornadoes, unfriendly motorists, and takes twice as long as for half the money as a traditional tour. But it also offers meaningful experiences and a more human pace of life in a frantic world, allowing Sollee time to ponder the big questions such as: What is worth sacrificing? And What story is he trying to tell?

FILM INFORMATION:
County of Production: United States
Year of Completion: 2017
Director(s): Mallory Cunningham and Kyle Romanek
Executive Producer: Jon H. Reiger
Producer: Mallory Cunningham
Editor: Kyle Romanek
Camera: Marty Benson
Music by Ben Sollee
Duration: 10 minutes