The Picture

"Hot Wind" is a project born from the classical neo-realism of directors like Vittoria De Sica, Roberto Rossellini and Francesco Rossi.  Hot Wind strips away shallow artifice and Hollywood luster as it ventures into debating the subjects that the tinsel  town clan consider taboo!

Ellory, a weathered cowboy, and his androgynous companion Dregger, an ex-prostitute, are a pair of bounty hunters turned innocent outlaw who find themselves hiding-out somewhere in the wilds of northern New Mexico, waiting....

Set during the infamous Dust Bowl of the Dirty Thirties, Ellory reveals that he believes free will can never exist while an omnipotent creator is in charge. He's also convinced that God has selected them to assassinate him so that humanity can finally enjoy free will, which, up until now has been merely an illusion linked to his omnipotence. Before they can complete their mission, they encounter a pair of young Native American hunters, a hobo, a sheriff and his lovely, mute daughter who complicate Ellory's plans. As the plot unfolds the Natives inform them the Almighty spends his days riding a steam train in the guise of an old man. As they track God, age-old questions and mysteries are put to test, confounding the very notion of God and free will.  

A WINDING ROAD snakes out of the desert, into higher ground where trees are now visible. Out from a wall of DUSTY WIND, like a ghost melting out of the shadows, comes a 1927 convertible MODEL A Ford car with the top down. It races towards us where we see a rough-looking MAN driving fast beside a WOMAN in the passenger seat.

The Model A comes to a stop in a swirl of dust as we see LOCUSTS landing on the hood of the car. ELLORY, 50s, an ex-cowboy from old Spanish stock, now at the first third of the new century, in a Stetson and frayed suit gets out of the car, pacing around, walking off the nerves.

ELLORY
God damned!
(stops pacing)
Son of a bitch!

WOMAN (O.S.)
We lost ‘em. Calm down, Ell.

The Cast

David encourages all of our collaborators to "embrace impermanence."  This to say, we love our cast while recognizing the shifting nature of the winds filling everyone's sails.  In this way,  the cast may shift subject to their availability.

The Locations

A lot has been done thus far. When we begin shooting in Northern New Mexico in late August or early September, many of our scenes will be set in an actual vintage operating steam rail yard. 

Our team filming the video pitch at the rail yard, July, 2014

Dust storm at the Valley of the Gods

Beyond, the monumental vistas of the desert Southwest surrounding us. These incredible landscapes, manmade and natural are woven into the story. They're not just background, they tell the tale of a time and place where character was measured not by possessions, but by action in an immense world not always forgiving of human foibles.

Funding Strategy

Our funding strategy brings many benefits. First, every dollar you donate is tax deductible for you. Second, you get to participate in making a great independent film at the same time as supporting the arts activities of the Metta Theatre. One of Metta's missions is to bring disadvantaged kids into the world of theater and  into the larger universe of what the creative endeavor can generate in their lives.

We also have a more traditional model involving individual investors. In this too your crowd funding money has been crucial. In our first Indiegogo campaign we raised $10K. With that you enabled us to establish our legal framework, finish the script, find our locations, secure key people, the list continues. This is in turn helped us with our private fund raising!

How the $25K cast budget will be apportioned.
All of the money you donate NOW will be placed in escrow,
to be spent on the cast and only the cast.

Who in tarnation are we?

David Jean Schweitzer, Story, Co-Writer, Director - Last fall, the International Cinematographer’s Guild ECA honored David as an emerging talent in Los Angeles and New York, where he was feted by the greatest living cinematographers, along with nine other international honorees. He also has worked for master cinematographers Gordon Willis, ASC, Bruce Surtees, ASC and Dariusz Wolski, ASC.

"Hot Wind" will be David’s third feature-length project acting as the director. His ECA submission received 10 awards, was selected by 28 film festivals and has screened in ten countries. In addition, his projects have been official selections at major international film festivals in Torino, East Hampton, Cartagena, Galway, New York, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Rhode Island, Newport Beach and others.

Adam McLean, Story, Co-Writer, Producer - A Canadian now based in Los Angeles, Adam worked as an actor in film and TV before founding the production company Sane Asylum Syndicate. He has produced numerous award-winning plays, films and music videos. His films include "Potage de Ma Mere," "Shedding Skin (2007)," and the controversial, "The Pardoner's Tale (2009)," an ultra-low budget film which he wrote, directed and starred in.

Joshua Michael Stern, Co-Writer - Joshua is a director, producer and screenwriter best known for his movies "Jobs (2013)," "Swing Vote (2008)" and "Neverwas (2005)." Six of his feature screenplays have been produced and in addition to "Hot Wind," three more are in development. Joshua currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Chee Ho, Producer - Born and raised in Vancouver, Chee moved to Los Angeles to work in Film and Television Production while studying at the UCLA Screenwriting Program.  Currently a resident of New Mexico working as a Location Manager and Line Producer. He has participated in such varied projects as “American Beauty” and last year's “Drunktown's Finest” executive produced by Robert Redford. His extensive experience working in the world of ultra low budget feature production brings an essential skill set to “Hot Wind”. He's also venturing into the world of children's books so that his child can actually see something that he's worked on.

Gustav Alsina, Production Designer - Gustav is originally from Buenos Aires and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris with continued studies at the American School of Art in NYC. Gustav also taught art at UCLA and was awarded teacher of the year. He is now living and working in New Mexico and has worked on numerous motion picture productions as a Production Designer.

Keith McIntosh, Producer – Keith studied film and anthropology (not necessarily in that order), worked in film in NYC. Then he moved to New Mexico (not to be confused with "Old Mexico” a music video he wrote, then directed and realized with the incredibly creative collaboration with David.  Keith worked with the New Mexico Film Intensive and on many commercial and documentary projects.

Nathan Wilson, Director of Photography - Nathan is originally from Chimayo, NM and has previously been honored by the International Cinematographer’s Guild as an Emerging Cinematographer. An acclaimed action shooter, he has lensed more than a dozen feature films. Nathan has not only developed a fine eye but is one of the fastest DPs in the West.  David and Nathan have worked together and are teaming up to create a distinctive look for "Hot Wind".

Justin Geoffroy, Editor - Justin grew up in Austin and attended film school at the University of Texas. Working with Terrence Malick as a picture editor on "The New World (2005)" was a formative experience and continues to influence his editing knowledge and style. Justin also co-edited the feature film "Spoken Word (2009)" with acclaimed indie director Victor Nunez. His recent credits as Assistant Editor include Tommy Lee Jones new film "The Homesman (2014)" and Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire (2012)." Justin has collaborated on 2 projects with members of our team.

Stryder Simms, Executive Producer- Has written three novels, seven feature film scripts, over a dozen shorts and been integrally involved in the making of twenty films. His motion picture experience began in 1989 at Grassroots Television in Aspen, Colorado. He partook in a year long post-graduate intensive in screenwriting. Since 2008, Stryder has been employed continuously in the movie business and has written and directed prize-winning short films. He maintains a monthly blog, contributes reviews and festival coverage to international film festivals.

Metta Theater

We have adopted a non-profit funding model so that all donations are tax-deductible. That is one payback we encourage all donors, everyone to take advantage of. We are proud to be working in cooperation with Metta Theater, which has been training actors and producing plays and film in Taos, New Mexico since 1999. This tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization produces and promotes all aspects of theater in the local community; offers free acting classes for 7th-12th graders in local schools and acting workshops for kids aged 13–early 20s; develops and produces plays by local playwrights; films by local filmmakers; and offers regular presentations of published one-act and full-length plays under the stewardship of veteran stage, screen and TV actor/director Bruce McIntosh.

The Perks

We take none of your donations for granted and will send an acknowledgement.

We intend to make a picture that will reach people at the level of hearts and dreams. So thank you for helping us make these dreams we share a reality. We deliberately did not spend precious funds on a bunch of imported logo merchandise for you. Instead we will devote each dollar to the light, shadow and color that will bring every moment of this film to life. Sitting in the theater when the lights come up you will see the experience of our collaboration on the faces of those near you. Removed in time and distance you can imagine that those far away will feel what you felt and be touched by the gift you've offered. The specific magic of film is this ability to project the best of us into decades and centuries beyond our lives.

The greatest perk we have to offer is the satisfaction of opening a doorway between a worthy motion picture and a hungry audience, and the peace of mind that results in placing the most powerful technology ever invented for accelerating human intelligence into the hands of a tight-knit group of seasoned practitioners of cinematic art. We hope you look forward to partaking in the fruits of our labors as much as we do.