Cinematographer Taylor Powell Has Two Homes Making Stoke

Caitlin Holcombe as Jane in Stoke, playing as part of Austin Indie Fest this weekend

Filmmaker Taylor Powell may live in Austin, but his second home is firmly and fondly in Hawaii. After spending several winters of his life in the Aloha State, Powell is paying tribute by serving as the director of photography on the upcoming film Stoke, which will play at Austin Indie Fest this weekend.

Stoke follows Jane (Texan actress Caitlin Holcombe), a commercial litigator from Los Angeles who travels to Hawaii in a spontaneous attempt to relieve the emotional turmoil she is undergoing. Upon arriving, she soon meets a pair of sibling tour guides: goofy Po (Randall Galius Jr.) and serious stud Dusty (Kauhane Lopes). The trio embarks on a road trip in pursuit of an active volcano, with plenty of hijinks and personal revelations along the way. Powell said, "Each of these three characters, they have a lot going on – they're at this point in their lives where they could go one way or another. This film is so true to not only life on the Big Island, but also to the younger generation of people that are just figuring things out."

Powell met Zoë Eisenberg and Phillips Payson (the writing-directing duo behind Stoke) during one of the winters he spent in Hawaii. After working with him on their short film "The Bone of a Whale," the real-life couple knew they wanted Powell as the cinematographer on their next project. "[Zoë] called me up and said, 'Hey, what do you think of this idea?'" Powell said. "'We like your style, we like working with you.'"

Much of Stoke was shot in Puna, a district in Hawaii that Powell described as a "wild jungle, kind of 'anything goes' space of creativity." He tried to capture as much of that raw, natural beauty with his cinematography as possible. "[It was] almost like shooting a narrative and a nature film, all at once. I felt like it was a gift back to the Big Island because the Big Island has given a lot to me."

Despite her charms, Mother Nature is temperamental and so is indie filmmaking. Stoke's small crew often forced Powell to venture out from behind the camera – he found himself rigging, gripping, and gaffing, doing anything and everything he could in his department to make things work. His efforts didn't always pan out; for example, some night shots were cut due to a lack of lighting. "Obstacles are gonna present themselves," Powell said. "You just have to keep going."

The film's inclusion in the Austin Indie Fest lineup marks a big moment for Powell. Not only will he see the end product of his hard work on the big screen, but the location means he'll experience it alongside his friends and family. "I love it," Powell said. "You have to look at your resources and do the best you can, and we did do the best we can."

Stoke will screen Nov. 11 at 10am, at Holiday Inn Austin Airport, 6711 E. Ben White, as part of Austin Indie Fest’s “Women in Film” section. Visit www.austinindiefest.com for more info.