SUPPORT THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT SHAKE HANDS
by Graveyard Production Company
My name is Richard 'Chomps' Thompson, and I am local filmmaker living in Tucson who is currently filming a short film that has been adapted to highlight the southwest during the early 20th century providing a richer perspective on the men and women who lived here during that time while also spearheading a film crew comprised of local performers, artisans, and creatives to highlight the diverse region the southwest actually represents.
Logline
A WWI veteran traumatized by his service in battle and the recent death of his fiancée moves out west to drink himself to death when he meets a mysterious buffalo soldier who believes he kills anyone he touches.
Synopsis
The story itself focuses on the tragic events that occur when a WWI veteran who is suffering from bouts of trauma that are unsuccessfully being treated with alcoholism meets a mysterious buffalo soldier who believes he kills anyone he touches. Adapting the original story to highlight the true raw and surprisingly diverse nature of the Post Civil war Southwest, this story weaves a tale of PTSD, veteran and military awareness, careful indigenous representation, and vibrant character development centering on a troubled buffalo soldier's past while remaining true to the mystical and potentially supernatural elements that allow this to be a Southwestern Folk Tale.
About the Film / Background
The motivation behind my project is to shoot a story that holds personal importance to me as it was one of the first short stories I had read as a youth from my father's library of books. I have always been a reader, and this story, about how important stories are to people, despite - or due to - the voice telling them, has held a lasting hold onto how I have been a storyteller for the entirety of my life. After being granted the ability to shoot this film, I found something that I could honor to the author, to myself, to those who work on it, and to the audience. My artistic vision is shaping the core elements of the story for which has been adapted to be filmed as a 'Southwest Folk Tale', that not only carries a strong cast of people of color, but employs a diverse cast of talented members of the community that highlights a more truthful take of the southwest than what decades of myopic perspectives had maligned by pretending the early wild west was filled only of John Wayne cowboys and non-descript Indians. Following a cinematic structure that combines Ari Astor's 'Hereditary' and P.T. Anderson's 'There Will be blood', my vision is creating a slow burn tale of PTSD and war in a post-civil-war southwestern town that will - ideally - not only tell a heartbreaking story of solitude and trauma, but provide insight into how diverse and multicultural the southwest - as we have not been taught - truly was.
Meet the Filmmaker
Richard is a playwright, screenwriter, producer, and performer who was previously an understudy in ATC’s Pru Payne. While his acting career has spanned live stage, voice over, film, and contemporary art installations, as a writer he is still a Hearst poet at heart along with being a James Beard nominee. His work in production has afforded him the incredible network of Friends in Film through A-listers (Janet Urban), Monsoon Productions (Tucson), Bitfire Entertainment (Phoenix), Lori Lyle Films (Lori Lyle), Seelie Studios, Avai Films, and many others. He has locally produced original manuscripts including Last Call and the 2019 Tucson Fringe Festival’s The GRANDest Pageant as well as his film short You.kNow.Me? (Apex award nominee). Stage performances include Boy Willie in PCC’s The Piano Lesson, Emergency with Invisible Theatre, Trigoran in Stupid F$#@kin’ Bird, and Cal in The Little Foxes with Winding Road. Recent film and television credits include A Kind of Mystery – A Question of Guilt, The Love Song for William H. Shaw, The Majestic, Twixxx (Toronto Film Festival nominee), Maya: The Series, and The Prototype, and Becoming Tiffany. In 2024, he will be directing and producing Goodbye, Acacia.
Meet the Cast
Trained with Anthony Abeson, Katherine Powell-Roman, Dennis Krausnik (of Shakespeare & Co.) and Austin Pendleton, later being cast under Pendleton's direction in "Vieux Carre" at The Pearl Theater Company in 2012. Jeff also worked with the famed experimental New York Theater company, The Wooster Group, and performed in "The Archery Contest" at PS122, under the direction of John Jahnke and The Hotel Savant. His other credits include "Offending the Audience" at The Flea Theater, directed by Jim Simpson.
Aaron Cammack is an actor, musician, writer, and teacher. He has worked nationally and internationally in TV, film, and theater, and recently became Arizona Theatre Company's inaugural Resident Artist.
Bradford is a loving, energetic actor/performer/musician. He has been studying and acting since the late 1990's back in Philadelphia and in more recent years, Arizona. As a long time fan of the early comedic geniuses and vaudevillian acts of the last century, he has prided himself on quality and depth of his acting and performing abilities. Trained in somatic work, he brings forth a deep connection of body, mind, and emotion to the camera.
Cisiany Olivar is known for Jessicka Rabid (2010), Blood Widow (2020) and Trade In (2009).
Cliff Owens is known for Back to the Present!, Gunfight at Rio Bravo (2023) and Taken from Rio Bravo (2024).
Meet the Crew
Director of Photography
Joshua Benson is an American independent filmmaker, cinematographer, photographer, and writer. He holds a BA in Politics and Theatre Arts from Brandeis University and a MA in Filmmaking from The London Film School.
Originally from upstate New York, he currently resides in Los Angeles. His films are produced through his production company, Copeland Pictures.
Originally from upstate New York, he currently resides in Los Angeles. His films are produced through his production company, Copeland Pictures.
Fundraising Goal
All funds raised go directly to production cost and paying cast and crew.
$5,000 or however much we raise in the next 30 days! All funds will be allocated towards 1) fulfilling professional rates of the incredible cast and crew who have poured their heart into this project at their own expense to see something powerful be created and shared and 2) all postproduction needs including editing, music composition, and festival distribution directly. I am proud to have a very clear and robust budget log for each dollar spent and can provide complete transparency into what is going on where. I am happy to provide a complete budget document that details every penny to the crew, the region, the community support, and the ability for viewing through festivals and educational events.
All donations are Tax-Deductible through our Fiscal Sponsorship with From the Heart Productions, a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization that has supported independent filmmakers and artists for over 30 years.
Partnerships
We are grateful for the sponsorship and support of these wonderful organizations!
The Lit Faith Foundation who works for homeless vets and youth, who are partnering as Non-Proft Sponsors with us, the African American Museum of Southern Arizona who is a sponsorship partner working with us with authentic recreations of costuming and western wear as well increasing visibility and outreach to additional historical societies of military and indigenous communities not only spread awareness, but to maintain respectful representation of these characters therein, and officially sponsored by Southern Arizona Film Society, who is platform to get more visibility onto the film and providing other resources for production and post-production.
Current Status
My plan to film this short has already begun. I am pleased to say that we recently hit our minimum goal of 10k for shooting and while that is helping bring so many quality actors, crew, and production needs, we are looking to exceed that and bring those funds directly to the production and crew. We have obtained stellar production insurance from JMI Films and Pima county permits as well as secured our shooting for 3 different locations (Gammon's Gulch, The Bowen Stone House, The Owl's club) and we have been fortunate to acquire great equipment support from both Monsoon Production Services in Tucson and Lenswork Rentals in L.A. (Arri Alexa and Super Baltar lens kit). We shoot on November 1st and wrap on November 4th.
Please Support This Film!
Supporting this film is joining this wonderful team of community members that are dedicated to bringing the best cinematic work that not only includes their input and insights, but provides a real-life example of promoting the ideals of greatness in which Tucson embodies not only in cinematic history, but as a unique region of this country. Even if you can't donate, we'd love having you a part of this movie in any way you can, because you are our community and our significance to each other comes from the impact in growth we bring into the community itself. I'd love you to be a part of this community.
For questions or more information, please contact Richard 'Chomps' Thompson at [email protected]
DONATE
$1,505 RAISED
$5,000 GOAL
| This Appeal | 6 | 30% |
| has ended. | Believers | Funded |
This appeal has ended.