Hot off the tails of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Roger Durling sat down and profiled his longtime friend Hank Pitcher for this week’s cover story. As an avid lover of all things art — not just cinema — Durling is always looking for ways to highlight his community.
How did you meet Hank Pitcher? What has kept you friends so long?
I met Hank late in March 2016 when I was still doing my weekly column for the Independent called the S.B. Questionnaire . I was supposed to interview him for it, but after we met, I realized that he deserved a lengthier profile. I proposed it to Marianne [Partridge, Independent Editor-in-Chief]. Hank and I met for that original article for three 90-minute sessions, and a very close friendship developed based on mutual respect, and our love for movies — in particular, Fellini. This is the third story I’ve done on him, and we meet regularly for martinis at his studio throughout the year.