We Pedal Uphill Stories from the States written , directed & scored by Roland Tec We Pedal Uphill paints a sobering portrait of a country at odds with itself— After the second election of George W. Bush, Writer/Director Roland Tec began taking notes. Clipping news stories from the country he saw transforming before him, Tec let his imagination roam where the headlines left off. And so were born the 13 vignettes that make up this penetrating look at a country lost in a haze of post-catastrophic neurosis. From the PR handlers scouring the redwood forest for the perfect spot for a presidential photo op to the gay teenage son of a right-wing politician to the hurricane that brought so many of vastly different backgrounds together (albeit too briefly), the characters fleshed out in this tapestry of modern American life will haunt us for years and make us wonder what has become of “The Land of the Free.” Paranoia (Colordo) A man on his way to work in the morning moves with extreme caution, constantly looking over his shoulder. Is he paranoid? Is he phobic? Not at all! As he arrives at the radio station, all is revealed. My Tie ( A mother worries that her son, prone to controversy and speaking his mind, will meet the same end as her husband—a violent death. A Black Thing ( An African-American singer records a song, the content of which only starts to trouble her weeks later as she hears it on her car radio. Subtraction and Division ( The secretary to an election official questions the number of voting machines listed in an affidavit and quickly learns that it’s best to ignore the details three days before an election. Earth Day ( Among the world’s oldest trees, a group of PR handlers argue over the perfect spot for a Presidential Photo Op. One Wring Turn ( One man drives half a day in order to thank another for saving his life. The reunion is not what he expected. If a Cow Was a Pie ( A Powerpoint presentation outlines the cost-saving benefits of using “all” the parts of slaughtered cattle when feeding prison inmates. Caution: Train Crossing ( Mortimer Reede sees to it that a railroad report he doesn’t much care for, gets buried. The Mouse ( Two gay men at opposite ends of the food chain discover they both work for the same company during a one-night stand in an What’ve We Got To Lose? ( Treason ( The very bridge where Julius and Ethel Rosenberg supposedly sold atomic secrets to the Soviets is the final stop on a guided tour of downtown What Happened to Rita? ( A shell-shocked librarian returns to work after a 3-month absence, the nature of which is shrouded in mystery. We Dif a Big Hole ( After hearing his dad’s radio interview suggesting that in order to dispose of banned library books, “we dig a big hole,” Kyle does just that, before leaving home for good. Critical Praise For The Work Of Roland Tec “One Of The Sharpest, Sexiest, Most Amusing Satires Of Gay Life Ever Filmed! . . . All The Rage Plays Like A Contemporary Vanity Fair.” —Kevin Thomas, “Tec Has “Rage Erupts With On-Target Gay Satire!” —Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle “An Intelligent, Provocative Cinematic Debut . . . . . . Marked By A Trenchant Wit!” —Derek Wilson, “His Writing Is Rich, Giving His Actors Great Material To Work With . . . The Wreck Behind Us Beautifully Explores The Trappings Of Fame.” —Amy Rhodes, Show Business Weekly “A Diverting, Delicious And Finally Damning Story, With Crisp Dialogue, Crisper Editing And A Dynamic Use Of Film And Video, Tec Creates Characters Who Evoke Both Desire And Disgust.” —Carrie Rickey,