January 25th Update
January 16th Update
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~ COTTONWOOD ~
”Sometimes doing the wrong thing is the right thing”
County Sheriff Rube Whitlock is faced with raising his two young sons after the death of his young daughter which leaves his wife mentally incapacitated with grief and unable to care for them. Overwhelmed with the responsibility, Rube hires Esther, a local black woman whose husband, PV has just purchased his second mule in an attempt to establish himself and his farm as competitive cotton producers. Word of PV’s ambition quickly spreads through town igniting the community’s rage, creating dissonance and contempt within the usually quiet community.
Tensions rise as Orville “Guppy” Walters, a local ne’er-do-well, instigates a campaign that begins to threaten the safety of PV. These rumblings put Rube’s loyalties and the stability of his position as sheriff under scrutiny and it begins to compromise his livelihood.
As the condition of Rube’s wife deteriorates, Esther’s natural maternal presence begins to fill voids in the Whitlock house, which further fans the racial fires in the town. Rube is ultimately forced to choose between the boundaries set by the laws he has sworn to uphold and the boundaries set by the moral convictions of the human heart.
Amidst painful pasts beginning to resurface and new secrets freshly buried, it will take a “knobby-kneed buckskin” mule, a cheap pocket knife and a lifeless Cottonwood tree to form lasting friendships that will gray the lines between black and white and begin the delicate mending of family ties in the tender heart of a young boy.
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Comments on the Script – “Cottonwood”
“This is an
amazing story with so much potential to become a successful film with its
strong subject matter and characters. This is a movie I am proud to be a part
of. I look forward to working with the
incredible filmmakers that are assembled. I am honored to be a member of the Cottonwood
Team.”
-Anthony Michael
Hall (Actor & Producer)
“What attracted me to the film Cottonwood was “its humanity.”
-Louis Gossett,
Jr. (Academy
Award-winning Actor)
“I found the
screenplay to be very compelling and thought it was a wonderful character
driven story. Although dark at times,
the surprise ending made the story resonate with the reader, and I feel it will
do the same for the movie going audience.
I look forward to the role of Joe Walker.”
-Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
“We really enjoyed
the screenplay, Cottonwood, especially the close relationship the entire town
seems to share, and that the story is told from the point of view and
recollections of a young boy. My client
John-Paul Howard is honored to be a part of this film”
-Josh Taylor,
Agent, Vamnation Entertainment
“There will
always be a craving for strong, well-made dramas with dynamic and universal
themes. With a strong screenplay, great
cast, talented and experienced production team, the deck is stacked in
Cottonwood’s favor to deliver both artistically and commercially.”
-Brandon Paine, CEO, At The Mercy of Artist
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"Cottonwood" is a very special film that I am proud to be a part of. Set in 1937, during the depression and dust bowl era in West Texas, this poignant, heartfelt story is filled with mystery, intrigue, and tension, with strong characters. Based on relationships, friendships, death and healing with bonds not to be broken in a racially charged small town, with a surprise ending that leaves the audience with lingering emotions. Cottonwood ~ is a compelling film, a classic some say similar to Horton Foote's "To Kill a Mockingbird". With its strong subject matter, I feel Cottonwood will be viewed by audiences of all ages and will be seen for years to come...
- Julie Campbell, Producer
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Author:
Stacy Dean Campbell
Screenwriters:
Decker and Joseph Spence
Director:
(To be attached)
Producers:
Julie Campbell, Decker, Anthony Michael Hall
Director
of Photography: Peter CB Masterson
Casting
Director: Ricki Maslar (CSA)
John
Eslinger, Executive Producer, Chris Combs, Production Designer, Stephen Chudej,
Costume Designer.
Additional Team Members: Lawrence Ayers,
Kandy Bagley, Molly Murray-Brunner, Logan Carroll, Brock Fuller, Italia
Gandolfo, Michael Harrison, Seth Landau, Matthew Murray, Jonathan Ryan, Serita
Stevens, David Von Roehm.
Additional Cast
John Eslinger, Rick Gifford, John-Paul Howard, Kari Irwin, "Lazy" Lester Johnson, Codie Rimmer, Colby Sheppard, Rudy Tanzi, Buck Thornton, Jay Jay and John R Warren.
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The Cottonwood team believes we have a
great responsibility to provide not only a fantastic movie-going experience,
but to do our part to help others. We
want to assist those on the front-lines in the battle against racism that is
still alive today, and to help those in the ongoing battle to feed America’s
children in need – who are America’s future.
We turned to Indiegogo crowd funding
campaign to minimize our dependence on traditional film business
operations. The more money we raise
through your help, the more back end royalties we will be able to donate to
boot-on-the-ground charities making a real difference, as to profiting standard
business interest.
We want to create awareness through
building a valuable grass-roots audience while offering you the opportunity to
be involved and create this movie Cottonwood with us, protecting the integrity
of the project in the process.
