Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — In fall 2009, Denver-based actor and filmmaker Luke Seven returned to his family’s Steamboat Lake cabin, where he’d spent countless summer days riding all-terrain vehicles and fishing with his parents and brother.

This time, he wasn’t there to revel in the remote North Routt wilderness; he was there to make his first feature-length film.

During about two weeks, he directed and starred in “Deck Hunters,” a family comedy and heartfelt story about friendship.

Seven, who was born Bryan Cabrera, of Littleton, couldn’t think of a more fitting place to shoot the independently produced and distributed film.

“Steamboat has been a really big part in terms of my life and my family’s life,” Seven said Friday while visiting Steamboat Springs with his father before heading to Steamboat Lake. “It was a great place to spend close time with not only my parents, but with my brother, Robert.”

Robert Cabrera worked with his brother on the film as the second unit director, bringing full circle the boys’ childhood hobby of filming their escapades on a VHS camcorder.

“It brought us together as brothers,” Seven said about making films.

The film employs a small cast and stars Seven as ex-baseball player Chance DeLaCruz.

DeLaCruz has a terminal illness but reunites with his motley group of best friends for one last hunting trip to cut ties and see his friends toward a bright future without him.

The film carries even more weight for Seven and his family after Cabrera’s death last year.

The family spread his ashes on their North Routt land.

Now, Seven has released the film with the life and legacy of his brother and their memories from the cabin in mind.

“This is what me and my brother wanted to do was to sell our own films,” Seven said.

“So here I am, launching the film. It feels like a homecoming.”

The film is available for streaming and purchase at www.deckhunters.com.

Seven began his acting career in 2000 and has done a McDonald’s and a Vehix.com commercial, as well as played a role in the Video on Demand series called “The Westminster Wife Show.”

At his family’s North Routt property in 2003, he made a short film called “Honor and Defeat,” which won two awards at the Films UP! International Film Festival in Huntington Beach, Calif.

In “Deck Hunters,” a few locals make appearances, including a sheep that belonged to a nearby ranching family.

Part of the film was shot in Steamboat Lake Outfitters in Hahn’s Peak, a restaurant and bar now called Hahn’s Peak Roadhouse.

In the bar, the main characters run across a cowboy, played by local Realtor Jim Walters. Walters has acted in films and commercials before and got involved with “Deck Hunters” when he offered his vintage motorcycle for use in the film.

“It was a fun experience,” Walters said. “It was interesting to work with him and a small effort out of Denver. We even overcame the deluge of rain during the week or two they were filming up here.”

To Walters, filming even small-budget independent films locally helps promote the natural beauty and activities of Steamboat and its surrounding areas.

“Anything we can do to further the Steamboat and Routt County image is an excellent opportunity,” he said.

To reach Nicole Inglis, call 970-871-4204 or email ninglis@ExploreSteamboat.com