When it came to making “Lotawana,” his first feature film, Trevor Hawkins had a lot of experience on which to draw. He had been an Emmy-award winning nature photography whose “Heartland Bowhunter” raised the level of TV hunting shows, but he had also worked for National Geographic, Smithsonian, a load of corporate clients and the country of Rwanda, hoping to improve its image. He knew his way around a camera.
More than that, he knew his film’s locale better than maybe anyone, having lived on Lake Lotawana, Missouri, most of his life. He knew the ins and out and hidden corners of the private lake 30 miles southeast of Kansas City near Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit.
He knew best how to reflect the beauty of the area, in its every climate, its plentiful and sometimes elusive wildlife, its sunsets. If he just shared his gorgeous shots of the place, he might have made a film worth watching,
But Hawkins — the writer, director, cinematographer, editor, colorist and co-producer of “Lotawana” — introduces a guy bent on enjoying every moment on the lake in his sailboat, tooling around, exploring its corners, sprawling on the bow and watching the clouds move.
The scraggly, good-natured Forrest, played with ease by Todd Blubaugh, in no time catches the eye of a young woman on the dock intrigued by his carefree existence. Before long, Everly (Nicola Collie) is on the boat with him with a mind to sail to an unconventional adventurous life with him.