Eugene will forever be associated with the hippie population, consisting of dreadlocks, tie-dye and Birkenstocks. The Oregon Country Fair comes to mind when people mention Eugene, as does the Saturday Market. And of course there’s that popular green herb. Throw these ingredients together and the result is the film released by No Points Productions: “Hippies.”
Local filmmaker S. Michael Phillips will debut this, his first feature-length film, at the McDonald Theatre tonight. The film is a comedy about five students from Berkeley, Calif., who come to Eugene for the fictional celebration of Preservation Week, which focuses on embracing Mother Earth. Unfortunately for the students, residents of California are not allowed to participate in the festivities.
“We went out to coffee one night and decided that we should do a movie about Eugene and call it ‘Hippies,’” Aaron Doughan, who, with Phillips, was in charge of all the music for the film, said. The script was a collaborative effort written by Kurt Richter, Matt Keating and Sean Schoppe.
Doughan pointed out that the movie does not have a real theme but rather is a comedic look at life in Eugene. The group of students from Berkeley attempt to “steal the thunder” from Preservation Week by doing everything the festival plans the day before. Nothing goes as planned, however, when the students find themselves in all sorts of hilarious situations, which include a fish and the police.
“We put ‘Hippies’ in quotations marks because it’s not necessarily about hippies – it’s not about the true sense of the word,” Doughan said, commenting on the somewhat controversial title of the film. “These people are just doing it and they don’t know how to do it. It’s more of a sarcastic take on the word.”
Filmmaker Phillips has had success with his short 2005 film “Slay Bottle,” also released from No Points Productions. It played at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and the Rebel International Film Festival, winning an award for Best Editing, according to a press release.
Filmed in Eugene the summer of 2005, “Hippies” features scenes near campus, Spencer Butte, the Saturday Market and Franklin Boulevard. “Hippies” features local actors and original music. There’s folk music to sample from, as well as one country song. Eugene’s hip-hop group Genus Pro contributes one track, adding to the film’s diverse soundtrack.
Doughan and Phillips, who both played guitars and sang the songs, created most of the film’s music. Not surprising, the lead track of “Hippies” is called “Eugene, Oregon.”
“The music in it came out better than we anticipated,” Doughan said, who believes that people who love good music will love this film.
“Hippies” is an entertaining, comedic 85-minute story and the perfect excuse for a popcorn/candy eating binge. Tickets for the show are $5 and can be purchased at the McDonald Theatre. The movie starts at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m.

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