Ethan Higbee

Ethan Higbee
Alma mater New York University
Occupation Film-maker, composer, singer-songwriter
Notable work Red Apples Falling
The Upsetter

Ethan Higbee (also known as Nahte) is an American filmmaker, singer-songwriter and composer. He is most known for his Red Apples Falling and The Upsetter, a documentary about Lee Scratch Perry.

In 2010 he opened Dem Passwords art gallery in West Hollywood, California. The gallery owns and represents the painting collection of Lee Scratch Perry and hosted his first solo art exhibition called 'Secret Education' in 2010.[1]

Early life and education

Higbee was born and raised in Maine. He studied at the Mt. Ararat High School and was a six time All American in youth and high school track & field and cross country, capturing over 25 individual and team state championships in swimming and soccer.[2] As a 14 year old he was featured in Sports Illustrated Magazine's Faces in the Crowd for winning two state titles in cross country and soccer in the same day.[3] In 1994 he stood 3rd in the 2000m steeplechase at the USA Track & Field Junior Olympics National Championships at the University of Florida.

In 1997 Higbee gave up a potential career in running to pursue a career in direction after he was accepted into the Maurice Kandbar Institute of Film and Television at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he graduated in 2001.[4][5]

Career

Higbee met Adam Bhala Lough when they were enrolled at New York University. The two have collaborated on several projects.[6] Higbee has been composer in Lough films. Beside composing the music Higbee has also been a director, screenwriter, producer and cinematographer in different projects. In 2002, Higbee co-founded media production company called Permanent Marks.[7]

He has composed the music to feature films including The Carter, and Weapons.[8][9] In 2005, Higbee directed the video of Damian Marley's song Confrontation.[10]

In 2008, Higbee premiered The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee "Scratch" Perry, a documentary following Lee "Scratch" Perry, at the SXSW Film Festival.[11] Named after Perry's 1969 album of the same name, the film played in dozens of film festivals worldwide, and was screened across in nearly 100 theaters in 2011. The film is equally devoted to thirty years of Jamaican music and culture, and was narrated by Benicio Del Toro.[12] The movie was co-written and co-directed by Higbee and Lough who also distributed the movie by themselves.[13]

Higbee wanted to make a movie on Perry since he was in New York University. He tried contacting Perry several times, however, he was never able to pitch the idea of a movie to him.[6] Finally in 2005, Higbee and Lough were able to pitch their idea to Perry, who agreed on making a documentary.[6] In 2006, they spent eight days with Perry in Switzerland, then a year and a half following Perry around the world.[12][14]

In 2009, Higbee directed the documentary Red Apples Falling, produced by Damon Dash and Lough. The film is an uncensored look at the life of Jim Jones. In 2010 he opened Dem Passwords art gallery in West Hollywood California. The gallery owns and represents the painting collection of Lee Scratch Perry and hosted his first solo art exhibition called 'Secret Education' in 2010.[15][16]

Higbee's most recent project is a movie titled Baseworld, a documentary about Lil B, which is slated to be released in 2014[17]

Filmography

As a producer

Year Title Notes
2001 Roundest Wheel producer, director
2006 Haro Hara: Pilgrimage to Kataragama Sri Lanka producer, director
2009 Red Apples Falling producer, director
2011 The Upsetter producer, director
2013 Basedworld producer, director

As a composer

Year Title
2001 Roundest Wheel
2002 Bomb The System
2005 Waterborne
2007 Weapons
2008 The Carter
2009 Red Apples Falling
2011 The Upsetter

References

  1. ↑ "Lee "Scratch" Perry's First-Ever Art Show Opens Tomorrow -- Interview with Curator Sebastian Demian". Los Angeles Weekly. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Maine XC teams do well". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Sports Illustrated Vault". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mainers Excel in Russia". Sun Journal. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Busy Week for Mt. Aarat School, Sugg Track Tream". Sun Journal. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Adam Bhala Lough And Ethan Higbee, Tha Upsetter". Film Maker Magazine. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "The Upsetter". Rokumentti. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Nate (March 24, 2011). "'Lee Scratch Perry's Life on Film in 'The Upsetter'". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ "'Lee Scratch Perry's Wild World'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Interview: Ethan Higbee & Adam Bhala Lough Directors Of Lee Scratch Perry Doc "The Upsetter"". Indie Wire. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "2008 SXSW Film Festival Official Line-Up". Film School Rejects. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Adam Bhala Lough on his Lee "Scratch" Perry movie". TBD. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Addicted to rockstone". Caribbean Review of Books. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "'The Upsetter': The life and times of Lee 'Scratch' Perry -- VIDEO". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Lil B's Manager Sebastian Demian Is Calmer Than You Are". Los Angeles Weekly. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "THE UPSETTER: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF LEE SCRATCH PERRY". Los Angeles Record. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  17. ↑ "Benicio Del Toro Narrates Doc on Reggae Legend Lee 'Scratch' Perry (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 October 2014.

External links