ABOUT THE FILM

“Orchards of a Futile Heaven” is a short film set in a bleak future, where two thieves with a bounty on their heads risk everything to reunite their family in a mysterious wasteland rumored to have supernatural powers.

We are shooting in late September, on location in and around the town of St. Marie, Montana, an abandoned Cold War-era military town on the state’s northeastern highline. In April, with support from the Montana Film Office, we scouted  this unique and fascinating location. All the images you see and most of the trailer  footage was taken on that scouting trip. “Orchards” will be the first narrative film to showcase this haunting and beautiful place, weaving it into a cautionary tale about what happens when we build machines that grant our every wish.

This standalone short, which we will submit to festivals worldwide, will serve as the proof-of-concept for a feature-length version of “Orchards.” We’re excited to share this vision with the world. But shooting on location in a remote area with limited access to basic necessities is a challenge. And that’s where you come in. Your support for this project ensures that we can deliver an experience that looks and feels like nothing you’ve ever seen.

THE STORY

The war was started decades ago, by two A.I.s with conflicting protocols. But no one alive remembers this. There’s only the toll that endless war has taken on the world and everyone in it. Survivors live among the ruins, scavenging and hunting. 

Warhead awaits the return of her son, Nike, with her daughter-in-law Skittle. To survive, they steal tracking units from dead and wounded soldiers and sell them on the black market — a crime that’s put a bounty on their heads.

But when Red Bull, a friend of her son’s, returns from the front alone, Warhead demands answers. Red Bull tells them of a sacred monument that can grant them their wishes and promises to lead them there. 

With bounty hunters on their trail, the three make their way to the monument. But nothing can quite prepare any of them for what they find when they arrive.

“Orchards of a Futile Heaven” explores how our desires, which make us most human, can also plant the seeds of our destruction. A timeless story that speaks to the present, as we consider the risks of artificial intelligence and the consequences of creating machines that can grant our every wish.

ABOUT US

We like to say that this film is more than 30 years in the making. The first seeds were planted in September of 1991, when writer Matthew Derby met director Edan Cohen as undergraduates at RIT.

Their shared love of film and music started a decades-long friendship, as they each grew their respective careers, families, and creative practices.

Now, the kids are grown. Edan runs his own production company, and regularly directs narrative and commercial films for global clients. Matt’s writing credits include the feature film Gone in the Night, audio dramas Sandra and Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind, The Silent History — the first novel written exclusively for iOS — and the short story collection Super Flat Times.

They’ve joined forces with Jeri Rafter, a Montana-based producer dedicated to creating a sustainable film ecosystem in her home state, whose credits include Butcher’s Crossing starring Nick Cage, Sooyii, and Tokyo Cowboy. Writer/Artist Mary-Kim Arnold (Litany for the Long Moment, The Fish and the Dove) rounds out the production crew as the team’s media supervisor and head chef!

One thing we’ve learned over the years is that none of this kind of work gets done alone without the support and encouragement of a vibrant artistic community. We want to highlight the fact that these are all really collaborative endeavors. While we all may have different roles, with differing levels of visibility, nothing can really happen without community.

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

We are raising $10,000 for production. 

“Orchards” will be shot almost entirely in and around the defunct Glasgow Air Force Base in St. Marie, a largely abandoned military town in Northeastern Montana that has been slowly decaying for thirty years. St. Marie is both the inspiration for this story and its muse: It is a place created out of wartime necessity, only to be abandoned after the fall of the Soviet Union, and we’ve weaved its complex history directly into the narrative.

We are working closely with local arts professionals, creative teams, and businesses in the area to create a respectful set that recognizes the talent and resources of the town, while bringing attention to the site for its significance and haunting beauty.

We’re thrilled to have the support of the Montana Film Office through the Big Sky Film Grant program, which allows us to hire, house, and feed a crew of Glasgow-area locals and Montana residents, as well as the four-member main cast, who’ll be coming together from both coasts. 

Your funding will support:

• Round trip travel to Glasgow, MT
• Production costs for two additional shoot days in Philadelphia
• Post-production costs for color-grading + sound design/final mix

WHAT WE OFFER

Every contribution helps! We will acknowledge everyone who contributes at any amount in the film’s credits. 

In addition, we are offering limited-edition crew t-shirts and posters, props, and more -- Including, at the Executive Producer tier, a trip to Montana to hang out with us during the shoot!