What is SUN BELT EXPRESS?
SUN BELT EXPRESS is the offbeat, slightly dark, yet very funny road comedy we have spent the better part of the past three years bringing to life. It’s the story of Allen King, an ethics professor living in Arizona who cross-commutes to Mexico to teach at a soon to be closed local university. Under increased pressure from his ex-wife for child support, Allen has begun to traffic undocumented immigrants across the border for extra cash. Our film follows Allen during an especially catastrophic road trip as he winds up making one last run with his teenage daughter unexpectedly at his side and four immigrants in the trunk of his increasingly unreliable ‘74 Volvo.
The issue of undocumented immigration is experiencing an unprecedented moment in our culture right now and our film looks at it through an unexpected lens - humor. It's a film as suited for the IFC Center in NYC as it is for a strip mall in Tucson AZ.
Feel free to check out our webpage HERE
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(Tate Donovan, Rachael Harris, India Ennenga and Director Evan Buxbaum between takes)
After a month in the desert, we need your help...
This past summer we set out into the desert of New Mexico with a group of dedicated, passionate, and talented people to make Sun Belt Express a reality.
After a grueling 18 day shoot that included a '74 Volvo malfunctioning at the worst possible time, multiple sandstorms, and a few near nervous breakdowns, we came out of said desert with a film we are immensely proud of. Sun Belt Express is the film we always imagined: funny, heartwarming, unique, and unprecedented. Our cast brought their best every single day (a cast that includes such notables as Tate Donovan, Rachael Harris, Stephen Lang, Ana de la Reguera and India Ennenga) and our crew did the same, and for that they have our eternal gratitude.
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(Setting up a tough hillside shot)
Due to some unforeseen circumstances such as violent sandstorms, we had to shoot two extra days which meant keeping our actors and crew longer, changing flights, adding hotel days, longer rentals on equipment and costly trailers for our talent. In the end, two days sounds like it’s not a huge deal but for a small indie like our film, those days and those costs add up to a lot! And now that we are onto post production we need your help to finish the film!
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(Ana de la Reguera and Tate Donovan going over lines)
Many of us have been involved for well over 2 years and our fearless writer/director has lived and breathed SUN BELT EXPRESS for the past four years. Your contributions bring us that much closer to showing the world this incredibly special and important film.
We would love to have you join us on the ever evolving journey that has been SUN BELT EXPRESS, it would mean a tremendous amount to all of us.
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(Our amazing DP, Luke Geissbuhler )
What We Need & What You Get
As this is an Indiegogo non fixed funding campaign, every dollar raised will go towards accrued costs and every dollar we go over our limit (which would be incredible!) would go towards post costs such as deliverables, color correction, sound mixing, and online editing.
Our incredible editor Beth has been working for free the entire shoot and continues to, so a part of what we raise will go to paying her.
Indiegogo is a truly awesome platform and this flexible funding option allows us to ensure that even if we only reach half our goal, we can still put those funds towards good use as we work towards a finished film.
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(India Ennenga, Arturo Castro, Ana de la Reguera, Evan Buxbaum, Tate Donovan and Oscar Avila)
Can't donate but want to help?
We understand that not everyone can afford to contribute. However, you can be a part of the ongoing adventure that is SUN BELT EXPRESS by spreading the word on social media and elsewhere (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.).
Our film does not have the benefit of studio backing or marketing dollars going towards spreading awareness. If you can, please advertise this Indiegogo campaign on your preferred social media networks. Every new set of eyes helps us get a little bit closer to getting this film out there.
Be sure to like our Facebook page!
But most importantly, tell people about the film and what we are doing. It's not easy making a film (as we've experienced it is actually almost impossible sometimes) and every piece of goodwill helps.
FAQs
What's the deadline for donating?
What happens if the money isn't raised in time?
- If our goal isn't met before the deadline, we still get whatever amount we were able to raise (minus a small fee to Indiegogo for hosting the campaign).
Can we exceed the goal?
- Firstly, what an excellent question! Secondly, YES!! As long as the campaign is still ongoing, we can continue to raise funds beyond our goal and that would be incredible! Literally every extra dollar will be another dollar we have to spend on post production.
Is my pledge amount publicly displayed?
- No, only you and the project creator will be able to see the amount.
When I go to make a pledge, why does it take me to PayPal?
- PayPal is the company that processes the donations made via Indiegogo. You don’t have to utilize a PayPal account to donate (though we do recommend them for their convenience) so if you don’t have or wish to create one, you can use a credit card.
When would I get my rewards?
- The reward delivery date is listed below each pledge in the column on the right. Indiegogo says for pledge levels with multiple rewards to put in the date the LAST reward will be delivered. Just wanted to let you know that we'll be rolling rewards out as soon as they're available. For instance, we can start doing the thank you notes, Instagram shout-outs, Facebook mentions, etc. right away! Other things, like screenings or visits to the editing room may will be available when it works in the production schedule, or after festival screenings. We'll definitely get everything to you as soon as they're ready -- thanks in advance for your support and your patience! And don't worry, shipping costs are included in all pledge amounts.
How will you know where to send my rewards?
- After our deadline, we will send you a Indiegogo message requesting all the necessary information.
How can I contact you? Where can I get more info?
Who we are
EVAN BUXBAUM (Writer/Director) is a writer/director based in New York. His films have screened at numerous festivals across the country from Aspen, to HBO Latino, to the Nantucket International Film Festival, and have featured notable actors such as Peter Boyle, Jerry Stiller, and Tovah Feldshuh. His previous accolades include the Audience Choice Award at DC Shorts, Finalist at the USA Film Festival, Certificate of Merit at the Williamsburg International Film Festival, the Silver Medal at the Park City Film Music Festival, and inclusion in both the SAG short film screening series and the Asbury Shorts’ Best of The Last 30 Years traveling screenings. He was recently invited to participate in the Cine Qua Non writing lab in Mexico with SUN BELT EXPRESS, and in the last six months has been featured by Film Independent, indieWIRE, Zoomtilt, LATINAish, Filmwax and at the IFP Script to Screen Pitch workshop, among others.
IYABO BOYD (Producer) is a producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is an alumnus of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Film & Television where she focused on producing, and also co-founded and directed the female filmmaker focused Fusion Film Festival. Iyabo has since worked for many festivals and institutions as a program manager and events producer, including the Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Film Festival, and the Independent Feature Project (IFP). She also has a fundraising and development background, working for many youth and community focused non-profits in Denver and New York. Iyabo currently serves as the Manager of Operations and Programming at Chicken & Egg Pictures, a fund for women documentary filmmakers.
JACOB POKLUDA (Producer/Line Producer) has served as the propelling force behind many projects in the Southwest. He has deftly produced a number of ambitious films starting with RED MESA, a USC master thesis that qualified for an Oscar. Since then, Jacob has produced an impressive string of iconoclastic features like 0000, OUTSIDE OF TIME, JORDAN. Jake brings welcome experience in similar subject matter with ILEGALES, a critically acclaimed drama about illegal immigration that premiered at the HBO Latino film festival. Jake is a risk-taking filmmaker motivated in finding the human aspect in every story that can transcend boundaries and touch us all.
BRADFORD COLEMAN (Executive Producer) is a Producer and Editor based in New York. He found his way into the creative side of the industry after working in movie marketing. For the past year, he has been honing his sense of story as an editor, working on Lance Edmand's BLUEBIRD, Ben Barenholtz's WAKALIWOOD, and most recently, Mike Myer's directorial debut, SHEP, a documentary about acclaimed music promoter, Shep Gordon. Brad currently serves as producer and editor of filmmaker Isaac Nabwana's upcoming Ugandan action movies, and is working to distribute these films around the world.
NOAH LANG (Executive Producer) is a producer and writer based out of Brooklyn, NY. He recently worked in talent management, single picture finance, and advisory services at Cinetic Media. Noah has a BA in Film and Media from Swarthmore College and has done additional coursework through the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand where he did a work study program with Peter Jackson's Weta Digital. He recently co-produced a modern adaptation of W.W. Jacobs' THE MONKEY'S PAW which will be theatrically released this fall and is executive producing the documentaries 52: THE SEARCH FOR THE LONELIEST WHALE IN THE WORLD and HEAVEN ADORES YOU: AN ELLIOTT SMITH PROJECT.
PIERCE BEROLZHEIMER (Associate Producer) is a producer based in NYC. He recently graduated from Davidson College with a BA in English, but spent time studying Philosophy in San Diego and Film Making in Greece. He has worked with Emmy award winning Cinematographer David Wright on various BBC Nature and Mutual of Omaha wildlife documentaries, as well as with producer Ben Barenholtz on WAKALIWOOD: THE DOCUMENTARY. Since wrapping SUN BELT EXPRESS, he has felt "set withdrawal" and is eagerly looking forward to his next film.
