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My First and Last Film

Directed by Tracey Thomas
Documentary Feature
USA | 68 min | 2019

Documentary filmmaker Tracey Thomas has interviewed over a dozen 60-year-olds and asked the hard hitting questions. Questions about life, love, death, and what’s next. She did this right when she hit the age of 60 herself, and was deeply contemplating what a milestone this age is.

As she filmed these interviews, she also became closer with her 59-year-old filmmaker boyfriend Dennis who was also enthusiastic about exploring how different people feel about aging.

But filming halted after Dennis was unexpectedly diagnosed with ALS, and passed quickly thereafter, never quite getting to the age he and Tracey were interviewing about. In this documentary, we see how Tracey tackles this project by herself while grieving the loss of Dennis, her first and last film.

My dear friend and creative partner-in-crime, Jess Weixler, was pregnant with her first child last year. I’d recently become a father myself, and we were both asking ourselves the big questions: “What does it mean to be a parent?” “How will this new responsibility affect us as artists?” “Are we going to make ALL the same mistakes our parents did?” And most significantly… “Are we fuckin’ ready to become adults?”

So we decided to take all this existential exploration and head back to our indie roots to make a movie about it. We assembled a team of rock-star friends and collaborators and shot the film in 8 days (with an 8-month pregnant co-star) on a shoestring budget. The resulting movie is one that we are very proud of — a scrappy, punk rock comedy that serves as both an immediate and true (if somewhat hyperbolized) snapshot of a potent turning point in our lives.

My First and Last Film - Poster

My First and Last Film - Tracey ThomasTracey Thomas
Director

Tracey Thomas is a filmmaker based in Milwaukee, WI. As one of the founders of Exec-PC, one of the largest Internet Service Providers of the 1990s, Tracey lends her expertise in management and task organization to “My First and Last Film” feature length documentary. Thomas also volunteers for organizations such as the Salvation Army and 91.7 WMSE. She is an avid blues music fan and dedicates her time and efforts to supporting the music scene in Milwaukee.

Film Information

Director: Tracey Thomas
Country: USA
Year: 2019
Language: English,
Runtime: 68 min.
Rated: PG

Credits

Producer: Kristin Peterson Kaszubowski
Cinematographer: Dana Shihadah

Connect With This Film

BIFF - Beloit International Film Festival
BIFF | Beloit International Film Festival