Refusing to Ghost

A time capsule of California’s Wild West history, The Little Town of Washington lies at the bottom of a long mountain road which descends through layers of mist, pines, and exposed minerals, and ends in an idyllic, odd settlement on the South Yuba River. Once a booming gold mining town, today this isolated canyon has a tiny population of proud, colorful inhabitants who have their own particular way of life and of marshaling their town. However, as the modern world catches up and elders pass away, the town is under threat of losing its identity, and perhaps its very existence.

In an increasingly divided country, Little Town shows how a community of diverse individuals can work together against the odds. It is the present day story of a Frontier town, founded in the frenzy of the Gold Rush, that became a refuge for bikers and hippies in the 1960s and now exists as a haven for those who wish to live outside normal society – people who may not fit into the outside world, yet somehow fit together. Filmed on Super16mm, Refusing to Ghost is about outsiders, friendship, the weird American West, and what binds community together through changing times.