From the set of '25 Hill'. Early this month, I had the opportunity to visit the set of 25 Hill , producer/writer/ director/actor Corbin Bernsen 's tribute to the All American Soap Box Derby . The film tells the tale of 12-year-old Trey Caldwell, who loses both his Army father to the Afghanistan War and the dream his father had for Trey, to race in a soap box derby. Trey eventually meets fellow lost soul Roy Gibbs, who has lost a lot himself: a son to 9/11 and the hope he once had for a bright future. Add to that a Soap Box Derby Championship cancelled because of financial problems, and you have a lot of uphill battles for Trey and Roy to overcome. You could argue, though, that the story behind the story of 25 Hill is more fascinating than the fictional story Bernsen's created. Reading a story about the real Soap Box Derby's financial troubles, Bernsen was inspired to write the story, make the film - and save the Derby in the process . Bernsen, along
Championing films made in and filmmakers from the Midwest