LOGLINE

A bounty hunter confronts the delusions of his reality as he tracks down a local gangster on the lawless frontiers of downtown New York City.

SYNOPSIS

Judson Jones is the Bounty Hunter of the Bowery, caught somewhere between reality and fantasy. Ray Blackburn is the Man in Black: bank robber, gang leader, real rotten egg. He was Judson's closest friend. He is Judson’s latest contract. Late one night in New York City, their worlds meet.

ARTISTIC STATEMENT

Western stories are American mythology. The legends of the frontier have endured in countless incarnations and mediums, being told and retold across generations. Though the earliest versions of these stories are often dated and faded, they remain in the lifeblood of our modern media because they remind us of the enduring hope that exists just beyond any horizon. As a kid from Queens, my horizon didn't stretch very far. I am a New Yorker through and through and yet from my earliest memories, the stories I loved most, were the ones that took me to another place entirely. Bowery Hunter pays loving homage to the myth of the western, and seeks to recreate its legends in today's world. It is also about the nature of escapism itself; why we never fail to return to stories that remove us from the worlds we live in, and transport us to the ones we dream about. Our story plays out in the Bowery of New York City, an unorthodox locale for a western, but undeniably a wild west of its own right. Historically, it is a youthful, lawless territory, inhabited by vagabonds and drifters, each pining for some promise of glory. They're cowboys and outlaws too, simply divided by time from their horse-riding counterparts. This intersection of worlds, old and new, is the frontier of Judson Jones - a character caught in a limbo between his reality and imagination. These crossroads manifest visually - Judson forgoes a horse for a saddle-bagged motorbike, a downtown dive bar turns into an old west saloon, and a graffitied subway car becomes his railroad. This approach explores our driving theme of escapism as a coping mechanism. To Judson, old west serials don't just provide him with refuge from his problems, they are also a way to interpret and understand them. It is a viewpoint I share with Judson myself, as sometimes, even the most outlandish tales seem to make more sense than the world we live in. This brings me to another point in the importance of Bowery Hunter's urban motifs. I wish to preserve the wildness of New York City in the backdrop of its rapidly changing landscape. Judson's New York is gritty, raw, imperfect and beautiful because of it. It is also one I have seen become glossed over and bulldozed. Bowery Hunter is a celebration of the spirit of the city, and a showcase of the various neighborhoods and communities that are often left out of the spotlight. They become the key setpieces for Judson's adventures. The myths of the Western have persevered as a message of hope and destiny endemic to the human spirit. Even as a first-generation American, raised in a Queens brownstone, I was able to find comfort, passion, and understanding in the tales of the frontier. It is an honor now to contribute back to the myths through my own story.

KEY CREW

Alexander Inagamov - Writer, Director

Alec Inagamov is a writer and director from Queens, NY. A graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, he has worked on film and TV productions in varying capacities for the past eight years. Most recently, Alec was the Creative Executive at indie production company Intrinsic Value Film & TV, where he aided the development of titles such as "Queen of the Ring" with Walton Goggins, and the Tubi series "Great Kills". For his screenwriting, Alec has received honors from the National YoungArts Foundation, and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. His work has been screened at numerous film festivals and exhibitions such as the Gold Coast International Film Festival and the HBO Cinetech Film Showcase. On the production side, Alec has amassed over fifty credits on narrative feature-length and short films, documentaries, television series, music videos, and commercials. He has worked as a production assistant on HBO's "The Penguin" and Amazon MGM Studios upcoming film "The Man with the Bag".