Former Catasauqua resident and Catasauqua High School 1995 graduate Eric Bugbee knows a thing or two about BMX bikes and even more about making movies.

On Saturday, the movie Bugbee directed and wrote, titled "Heroes of Dirt," will make its world premiere 7 p.m. at Miller Symphony Hall, 23 North Sixth St., Allentown.

Bugbee's wife, Jill, also played a part in the movie, serving as producer.

According to a press release, "'Heroes of Dirt' is an unforgettable story of triumph of the human spirit, coupled with a strong dose of riding by legendary pros and hard-core locals. At the center of the story is a BMX rider's mentorship of an at-risk teen."

The movie chronicles Bugbee's penchant for BMX riding. When Bugbee was 10 years old he rented the 1986 movie "RAD," a film that explores BMX bike riders. Bugbee said he watched the movie 100 times and began riding in his own backyard. At 14 years of age, he and his friends were in need of more space and began building dirt trails in what is now called the Catty Woods.

Bugbee later attended Penn State University, where he majored in film. While there, fellow BMX enthusiasts including Eric's brother, Michael Bugbee, and other local riders took over building the many jumps, ramps and turns in a wooded area off Race Street in Catasauqua.

About seven years ago, Lehigh Valley International Airport bought the 14-acre parcel and intended to raze the area.

Bugbee, along with fellow local BMX riders, went into action to salvage the trails.

"Building the Catty Woods from nothing but dirt, wood and stones is analogous to making an independent feature movie," Bugbee said. "With this movie, we borrowed the same principle, that hard work and tenacious hope would enable us to make something for the big screen that would rival a studio picture of a similar genre and do it at a small fraction of the budget."

Bubgee said the move was low budget. Scenes were shot on the Catty Woods trails and on the streets of Allentown.

"Who's crazy enough to make a stunt-driven action movie on a $100,000 budget?" he recently said in an interview with ESPN.

Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski recently praised the movie for showcasing the reemergence of the City of Allentown.

"Beyond the scope of its high-quality production value," Pawlowski said, the film is a "favorable representation of the City of Allentown at this time of our economic renaissance" and "the best film project to come out of our city thus far.

It is a fun-filled action movie, centered around some great BMX competitive stunt riding both with a life-changing mentorship theme that appeals to reach at-risk youth for the greater good."

The World Premiere Festival will also feature a Heroes of BMX Pro Contest, open to pro-class riders, in front of the movie theater from 2 to 5 p.m.

The event is free to the public for viewing.

For more information on the movie, visit the website at www.heroesofdirt.com/ or the Facebook page at www.facebook. com/pages/Heroes- of-Dirt -The-BMX-Movie.