LOGLINE
When a woman meets her boyfriend for a romantic night out, a martini triggers childhood memories that threaten her ability to trust and love.
— Based on a poem, narrated by Julianne Moore.
TRAILER
PRAISE
“Happy Hour is a lush, elegiac film about an extremely difficult subject and Ms. Claggett handles it masterfully.”
– Robert Benton (Academy Award Winning Writer/Director: Bonnie and Clyde, Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart, Nobody’s Fool)
“Happy Hour has a mission — to start conversations that can save children — but it’s also a powerful drama. A wider audience awaits.”
− Jesse Kornbluth, HeadButler.com
“Poignant and powerful filmmaking on a tough subject. Happy Hour beautifully raises the issue and reality of child sexual abuse while giving voice to many who’ve been silent too long.”
− Anne Lee, Creator and Founder, Darkness to Light
CAST
CREW
Voice
Julianne Moore
Woman
Erinn Ruth
Girl
Orli Hersch
Pedophile “Uncle”
George Tynan Crowley
Complicit “Aunt”
Robyn Maitland
Father
Sean Cullen
Mother
Norah Marler
Mother’s Best Friend
Kathryn Neville Browne
Grandmother
Elaine F. Liebmann
Grandfather
Edward Prostak
Woman’s Boyfriend
Zachary Le Vey
Bartender
Ben Prayz
Flirting Woman at Bar
Jessica Mei Gershen
Bar Hipsters
Ryan Vincent
Amanda Dane
Nattacia Satie
1970s Friends
Enid Breis
Jay Gaussoin
Andy Horowitz
Written & Directed by
Gretl Claggett
Cinematographer & Editor
Eve Cuyen
Produced by
Culture Catalyst in association with Reel Potential Media
Producer
Gretl Claggett
Executive Producers
Joseph (JP) Pierce Farrell
David Dike
Associate Producer
Harriet McDougal
Original Music
Gil Talmi
Eve Cuyen
Casting by
Gretl Claggett
Eve Cuyen
Casting Associate/Line Producer
Laura Carson
Line Producer
Giovanna Aguilar
1st Assistant Director
Samantha Santos
2nd Assistant Director
Megan Jeannette Smith
Sound Design & Mix
@Harlem Pictures Studio
Colorists
John Mattiuzzi @Contact, Color & Post
Eve Cuyen
After Effects Artist
Vanessa Pyne
Script Supervisor
Patricia Yi
Makeup Artist/Wardrobe Stylist
Angelina Scantlebury
Assistant Makeup/Wardrobe
Claire Ying-Chin Wang
Hairstylist
Kisha Marie
Assistant Camera
Christina Asencio
Gaffer
Steven Glassner
Key Grip
Mark Boucher
Best Boy
Chris Dingley
Best Boy Grip
Ryan Helfant
Prop Master, Art Department
Lance Hallowell
Designer, Art Department
Mauro Carichini
Storyboard Artist/Props
Sean Caesar
Production Still Photographer
Francesca Andre
Production Assistants
Francesca Andre
Matt Davis
Michael Griffiths
Special Thanks
The Child HELP Partnership
Elizabeth Kee & Jack Cassaro
Ramie Burns & 200 Orchard
Betsy Wittenborn Miller
Lonnie Duka Photography
Hugh & Dorothy Claggett
Betty Sue Ray
Janell Lathauer
Jesse Kornbluth & Head Butler
Bob Myerson
Samuel Davis
Buttons NY
The Players Club
Dakota Studios
Our Kickstarter Pledgers
85 Photo Productions
Photo by 85photo.com
FILMMAKER
GRETL CLAGGETT is a creator, writer and director committed to telling female-forward, diverse, cinematic stories that captivate and catalyze transformation in individual lives and shared cultures.
Her first film HAPPY HOUR — narrated by Julianne Moore — is based on true events and a poem from her book, Monsoon Solo: Voices Once Submerged. The film screened at 18 festivals, winning awards, and garnering praise from Oscar-winning Writer/Director Robert Benton: “Happy Hour is a lush, elegiac film about an extremely difficult subject and Ms. Claggett handles it masterfully.”
Read more »
Gretl’s second film/proof-of-concept TV pilot, STORMCHASER, is a nuanced satire that allegorizes this era in “Merica”: Global Warming, Disaster Capitalism, Bullying, Morality, a Shrinking Middle Class, and Country Divided. STORMCHASER screened at 65 festivals worldwide — winning AMC Network’s Inaugural “Best Female Creator” Award at Stareable Fest, “Best Writer and Director” Awards at the New York Women in Film & Television Festival and “Outstanding Writing” at the Catalyst Content Festival. Other awards included multiple wins for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Film, Best Pilot, Best Cinematography, Best Actress and Actor, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Original Score/Soundtrack, and Best VFX. STORMCHASER is now available to stream on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu/Fandango.
FLIP THE SWITCH — a restructured 15-minute version of the film — was a finalist in the international Stage 32 Short Film Contest, and also screened at multiple festivals around the world, winning awards. Other narrative work includes directing several episodes of the comedic CHRONICLES OF A BLEEP YEAR OLD, co-creating and producing the horror short BOY, ALONE IN WOODS, and script doctoring the feature BEYOND THE RUSH.
Gretl is also passionate about pioneering the use of innovative technologies to shape inspiring brand stories. Clients have included AstraZeneca, AT&T, Avis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Canon, Chase, Genentech, IBM, Marriott, McDonald’s, Merck, Pfizer, SHRM, SONY, and SC Johnson, among others. One specialty is merging live performance with multiscreen multimedia and VFX for audiences up to 20,000 with global livestreams to thousands more. In this realm, her work has been honored with Cannes Corporate Award nominations, Telly Awards, and a JP Morgan Chase Luminary Fellowship for Entrepreneurship.
She’s currently writing a memoir, plus developing a black comedic series set in the nostalgic 1990s and a near-future, science-fiction feature. Check out narrative projects in development at Culture Catalyst and experiential/event work at Content Catalyst.
Here’s Gretl’s Personal Site
Writer/Director’s Statement
I wrote the poem “Happy Hour” — on which the film is based — more than a decade ago when I was deep in the labyrinth of recovery, after one of my parents’ best friends, whom I called “Uncle,” sexually abused me from before I could speak until I was 16.
Today’s headlines trumpet these crimes, yet the approach the media takes often keeps us stuck in horror and trauma. One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before turning 18. This translates into roughly 40 million adult survivors in the U.S. alone. I’m a statistic. But I’m also a human being. And it’s through the very human ability to tell a story — to go beyond statistics and show just how these cycles of abuse play out — that transformation becomes possible. With its potential to reach millions, film can play a powerful role.
The hardest and most rewarding part of crafting any poem is successfully capturing a whole world in a handful of words. So when I decided to turn my nine-line lyric into a film, I gave myself a similar challenge: to convey the depth and nuances of a feature-length script in less than 15 minutes.
My team and I made Happy Hour to help in some small way to dispel fear and shame; forge a better understanding of complicity plus the psychological aftermath most survivors face even in adulthood; give those who’ve suffered abuse hope that they can create fulfilling lives; and inspire people to learn about prevention so that more children can grow up safe.
