In the current studio-based Hollywood system, franchises. re-makes and comic book superheroes are king. 

Meaningful and important stories struggle to make it to the big screen.  Independent filmmakers often have little recourse to get the investors they need to finance quality movies - especially if their stories involve minority and Christian themes.

This investment is a unique opportunity for movie-lovers to influence what actually arrives at the local theater and streaming service.  They can invest in a film that reflects their Christian values and tells an amazing true story.

Across is the tale of Augustine Tolton, his escape from slavery in the war-torn South, his relentless battles with bigotry in and out of the church, and his journey to Rome - where his faith found its freedom as the first African-American priest.  The script is written by an award-winning veteran of the industry who has taught Screenwriting at Nashville Film Institute after a decade of work in Los Angeles.  The producer team has already produced a beautiful short film about Tolton’s attempt to escape slavery, and worked on dozens of other films.

The movie is geared toward audiences of all types, but also draws in two very specific and reliable box office demographic groups - blacks and Christians.  Thus, investors can have great hope of not only contributing to the production of a very special film, but also of receiving a return on their investment.

The real-life Father Tolton -->

Across is the collaboration of team of veteran performers and filmmakers based in Nashville.  Their short film about Tolton's childhood has already screened at a number of festivals and industry events, including the San Francisco International Black Film Festival and FilmCom.  The project to turn the short film into the full feature film is gaining traction quickly in 2019, as it is being represented by Five Key Collective at the Cannes Film Market and other events.

The young actor who plays Gus as a child - Georgia's Jaylon Gordon - has already been seen in supporting roles next to Oprah Winfrey and Clint Eastwood.  Director Christopher Foley helmed the Civil War indy, Dioscuri, and has tapped into the best talent in the southeast through his work at Country Music Television, Nashville Film Institute, and Tennessee State University.  Executive Producer Jon Graham is CEO of PeachFlicks, a distribution portal for the new capitol of film production, Georgia.

The Catholic News Service has already caught on to the story of our film, picking up two local Tennessee stories for national syndication.  One article talks about the production of the short film and the other about Bishop Joseph Perry's reaction to it at a recent screening.

Hugely successful movies like War Room and Blind Side show that the public's interest in faith-based and minority stories are box office gold.  Two recent Best-Picture Oscar winners, Green Book and 12 Years a Slave, show that this genre is loved by critics and audiences both.

While Evangelical audiences are seeing a quantum expansion of films geared toward them, the Catholic market is dramatically under-served.  Mel Gibson's mega blockbuster The Passion of the Christ was one of the very few faith-based flicks that was actively marketed toward Catholics.   Catholics - like Evangelicals - make up 25% of the American population, and they have a much larger percentage of the population GLOBALLY.

A story like Across will resonate with a large demographic.  Anyone interested in American history, inspirational films, African American themes and all Christian groups - with that special bullseye on global Catholicism - will find Tolton's story magnetic.

And with lucrative streaming services like Netflix and Amazon always looking for content, Across has so many options to make investors' dollars back in addition to theatrical revenues.

Across will be competing with many other movies when it is released.  But, this particular story has advantages that few films can match for profitablity.  FIRST, it will not take a huge budget to make a quality film with this story.  Since the plan is to shoot for between $2 and $7 million, even a modest success at the box office will make a profit. 

SECOND, this film has such a wide market as described above.

THIRD, audiences respond to quality, and word-of-mouth (and word-of-social-media) is everything.  The Tomato-meter and other metrics have created a new boon for well-made films.  Across was penned by an award-winning screenwriter who has taught that craft at Nashville Film Institute and Tennessee State University.  The proof-of-concept film has already been honored by several festivals.

The business model for a finacially successful feature film has many variations, but it follows the same basic phases: development, pre-production, production, post-production, and finally - distribution, where the movie begins bring a return to the investors.

In Phase 1 - Development - the screenplay is researched and finalized, a proof-of-concept short film is made, a visual pitch deck is created, and key members of the production team are brought on board.  Interest is generated in the project through film festivals and industry gatherings.

When those things are done - which they are in the case of Across - we raise the approximately $100,000 so we can attach recognizable actors to the the project.   THIS IS WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS NOW.  Once we have a real-life movie star or two on board, it becomes much easier to raise the remaining production budget - which will be between $2 and $7 million, depending on our co-producers and attached movie stars.

Take a look at the remaining steps to profitablity in the diagram below.

The battle plan to get our story filmed and in front of audiences is a tried and true one for those in the indy film industry.    That is spelled out above in the Business Model section.

For this particular, initial raise of $107,000, we will be working - and spending- on development.

PHASE 1 OF DEVELOPMENT (already complete)

During this stage, the script is researched and finalized, a proof-of-concept short film is produced, a website and social media are set-up, and a "pitch deck" is created.   The pitch deck (or look book) is a pictorial PDF to showcase the story and the style of the proposed film to potential collaborators.  ALL OF THAT IS DONE!

PHASE 2 OF DEVELOPMENT (the purpose of this fund)

The second part of development continues with the attachment of talent - usually recognizable actors - to the film.  Generally, actors can be brought on board a project by signing a pay-or-play deal.  10% of their proposed fee for appearing in the film is put into escrow.  If the film is not shot by a certain date, the actor keeps that money.  If it is shot, that money goes toward their full payment.  Name-actors are a huge part of making a project credible and profitable.   Below are some casting ideas for Across.

The biggest portion of our $107,000 development fund will be spent to secure acting talent.  WHY?  Because once bankable actors are attached, it is far easier to raise the rest of the money.

Other expenses for this development phase include marketing, advertising, networking events, office and legal expenses, as well as preparation of budget and shooting plans for the film.