NOTHING LIKE A GOOD OL’ FASHIONED BEER FIRE. Local filmmaker Peter Eaton (right) shoots a scene from his latest project, Sugar Mountain.

Over the years, Eau Claire has attracted the attention of quite a few filmmakers. Some local amateurs, others out-of-town professionals, and now an Eau Claire native who got professional training and has returned to create a short film inspired by his childhood experiences in the Valley.

"I wasn’t sure how to pay homage to such incredible stories, but I’ve had the urge for a few years now and had to at least try." – Peter Eaton on his inspiration coming from films like Stand By Me

“A few of my close friends and siblings who grew up in Eau Claire share a sense of nostalgia, and we all share an immense gratitude for our childhood,” said Peter Elliott Eaton. “There will always be an element of nostalgia in my projects.”

The film, entitled Sugar Mountain, follows teenagers Mack and Sam on a typical first day of summer. The two cohorts bike their way through town, swimming, stealing, and bothering their high school principal. Set in the early oughts, the advent of smartphones, Facebook, and MP3 players was still a few years away. Capturing that lack of technology, Eaton said, was essential.

“The early 2000s were still innocent; kids didn’t have cell phones, and social media didn’t dictate communication,” said Eaton. “These kids are pretty much bound to their bicycles. The radical change in communication among youth that followed shortly after these years was pretty monumental.” 

The film features local actors, including the two main characters. Memorial High students Mack Chambers and Tedd Piper play Mack and Sam, respectively, and Eaton has nothing but praise for their involvement. 

“Mack and Tedd had already established some chemistry, having worked on short films and participating in drama programs at Memorial,” he said. “It was great working with people who aren’t on set often. They have a certain energy and level of excitement that’s so refreshing.” 

Ben Richgruber, the executive director of the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, also makes an appearance as the frustrated principal. 

“Ben wore a suit in the blistering heat, and ran a marathon for me,” said Eaton. “I seriously can’t believe how nice that guy is for helping out.” 

Eaton’s experiences both in and out of the Eau Claire area have had a lasting effect on his films. He has an undergraduate degree from University of Minnesota-Duluth and a film directing degree from Columbia College in Chicago. During his years of media production experience, he shot videos for both Megafaun and The Daredevil Christopher Wright. But the memories of Eau Claire are what spoke to him for Sugar Mountain.

“I grew up in Eau Claire, exploring the town just as my characters do,” said Eaton. “The inspiration comes from personal experience as well as other films that captured a sense of youthful nostalgia, like Stand By Me. I wasn’t sure how to pay homage to such incredible stories, but I’ve had the urge for a few years now and had to at least try.”

The short film is set to premiere online for the public in mid-August. Meanwhile, Eaton is busy with several other projects through his production company Midwest Collective. With fellow Columbia director Kjell Kvanbeck, the company plans to release both films and high-end spots, including pieces about a private school in the 1990s and a truck stop diner in southern Wisconsin. But for those in the Chippewa Valley, Eaton hopes Sugar Mountainwill awaken memories about childhood in Eau Claire.

“Sugar Mountain is kind of a collection of vibes and feelings I always get at the beginning of summer, but have never been able to illustrate before,” he said. “This was a stab at illustrating those vibes and feelings through the dialogue of two millennial teenagers. Hopefully some people will dig it.”