Starting from her home mountains in the Adirondacks near Lake Placid, New York, Rachel Finn embarked on a journey that spanned from the Adirondacks to the deep fjords of Patagonia. Her pursuit was fueled by a shared passion for exploration and fly fishing, honoring the memory of her late husband, Jeff Kirschman. Supported by Spring Creek Lodge, Itati Lodge, and the Set Fly Fishing crew, Rachel undertook a unique adventure through Argentina. Explore the insights shared by cinematographer Max Erickson and producer Jared Zissu about the film in the following statements.
“When we were brainstorming the concept for the film we wanted to accomplish two things. Develop her backstory, and showcase her exuberance. We needed to show Rachel in her space, then let her loose somewhere where her personality could shine. She’s been to Argentina with the Set Fly Fishing crew and it was a natural fit to bring her back.”
“We shot over 20 terabytes during the roughly 3 weeks of principal photography. That mapped out to upwards of 40hrs of footage. Post editing was a heavy lift on this film (shoutout to our editor Jeb Burroughs) and we spent two months straight cutting and recutting the film.”
“Our favorite scene in the film is the buildup to Rachel’s big dorado. From dawn to dusk showing tired hands and hours of casting, built with the song “deep river†behind it. Catching a large dorado was a spiritual and meaningful experience. We didn’t want to make this sequence feel ‘cool’ or ‘epic’ because that’s not what you feel when you’re hunting for these fish. It’s meditative and quiet, a moment where you’re tuned to the present,” said cinematographer Max Erickson and producer Jared Zissu.
The film gained recognition in four distinct film festivals and tours. Its debut took place at the 5Point Adventure Film Festival, a key event in Carbondale, Colorado, with Rachel in attendance. Following numerous screenings across the United States, “After You’ve Gone” premiered at each Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) event. In October, the film earned accolades by winning both the “Best Story of 2023” and “Best Movie of the Year” categories at the Drake Magazine’s awards ceremony during the AFFTA Confluence Trade show in Salt Lake City. The film also took home the “Jury Award: Best Adventure Short” in the Bentonville Film Festival. Flylords, filled with gratitude, graciously accepted both awards. Subsequently, the film was chosen to premiere on the Banff Mountain Film Festival tour, reaching around 80 live events across Canada. Heartfelt congratulations were extended to every filmmaker who contributed their artistic endeavors to this remarkable showcase of fly fishing passion.
Special appreciation goes to star Rachel Finn for her exceptional talent and storytelling, Jeb Burroughs for his creative prowess during the editing process, the Set Fly Fishing crew, Spring Creek Lodge, Itati Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, the American Museum of Fly Fishing, as well as support from Patagonia, Fulling Mill, Scott Fly Rods, and Fly Water Travel.Â
