fiscal sponsorship
Turner Falls
No Image To Display
TYPE: Narrative Feature
GENRE: Drama
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
When a life insurance fraud investigator returns to his heroin-ravaged hometown in rural Massachusetts to investigate a rash of false policies, he finds himself ensnared in a deadly conspiracy with roots in his troubled past.
SYNOPSIS
"Turner Falls" is a quirky, neo-noir thriller set against the backdrop of the opioid crisis unfolding across America. The story follows a life insurance fraud investigator who teams with his estranged sister to investigate a string of suspicious policies in his hometown, only to become the target of a mysterious and deadly drug ring.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Even a cursory glance at current events in America will make it resoundingly clear that this country is facing an Opioid epidemic. Nationwide, there were over 70,237 drug related deaths last year alone, the majority of which involved opioids. Overdose deaths are now more common than deaths from car crashes, H.I.V., or gun violence at their peaks. The clarion call for action has risen, but it seems that little can be done to assuage the devastating effects of prescription painkillers and heroin. It is this existential conundrum that we hope to address using the only medium at our disposal— cinema. To this end, we have written and endeavor to produce "Turner Falls". In conceiving of the project, we made an effort to address this weighty subject from a character-driven perspective, as our protagonist investigates the case while struggling to reconnect with figures from his past who he left behind. He interacts with addicts and dealers, those struggling to recover, and the family members who bear their burden. The story puts a human face to this crisis while wrestling with themes of guilt and forgiveness, wrapped up in the package of a compelling, twist-filled mystery. As creators with penchant for genre thrillers, we’re taking creative cues from filmmakers like the Coen Brothers ("Fargo", "No Country For Old Men"), by injecting a harrowing, intense story with glimpses of dark humor and eccentric characters. The project is also tonally indebted to the originators of the film noir movement the ‘40s and ‘50s, such as Fritz Lang, Howard Hawks, and Robert Siodmak. Theirs was a vision imbued with a heightened and impressionistic visual style that we hope to replicate were this screenplay to be produced. On a personal level, we’ve known many friends whose lives were torn apart by the specter of addiction. So, when we heard about the level of despair being wrought upon communities by these drugs, we felt compelled to put our feelings on the page in the style we know best. The opioid crisis may not be solvable, but the mystery presented in "Turner Falls" is and we think there’s some measure of catharsis to be found in that. Too many “message” movies present their topic in a stodgy, preachy manner, but we want to engage a broader audience in this discussion by dressing up this “message” with the intrigue- driven tropes of the thriller genre. In doing so, we hope "Turner Falls" can both spread awareness of the opioid crisis and keep the viewer entertained— not necessarily in that order.
KEY CREW
Dashiell Finley - Co-Director, Writer
Dashiell Finley is a writer and director based in Los Angeles. After serving as an assistant to a number of development executives, he went on to write many screenplays, working under filmmakers such as Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity"), Bruno Barreto ("Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands"), Jason Kliot ("Coffee and Cigarettes"), and Stanley Weiser ("Wall Street"). He has been hired for consulting work by Norris Chumley (a former producer for Oprah) as well as companies like Consumer Reports, Script Reader Pro, and Synergetic Film.
Adam Dicterow - Co-Director, Editor
Adam Dicterow is an Editor and filmmaker based in New York City. Working as 1st Assistant Editor under his mentor, Emmy Award Winning Anne McCabe A.C.E. ("Adventureland", "Margaret") he has honed his skills on films and TV shows such as Sony’s upcoming Mr. Rogers film starring Tom Hanks, Fox Searchlight’s "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" starring Melissa McCarthy, as well as HBO’s "The Night Of" and "Succession". Adam has also cut multiple festival short films and music videos. He is currently developing multiple feature projects across various platforms.
Carrie Radigan - Producer
Carrie Radigan is a NYC-based independent producer always searching for stories that go against the gradient to create diversity in front of and behind the camera. She started working in post production right after college. She was the Client Services Manager at Light Iron, a post production house focusing on features and television. Most recently, she has produced music videos and short films including "The Invaders" by Mateo Marquez, "2 Weeks" by Victoria Negri, and "Unwind With Me" by Wyatt Winborne.
Gabriel Barreto - Producer
Gabriel Barreto is a NYC-based writer/producer/director working to tell inclusive, representative, and biting stories for today's audience. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a BA in Film Theory and Writing. More recently, Gabriel has started work on his first feature, "My Cricket And Me", inspired by his time working for Willie Nelson & Family as a roadie (Willie appears in the film). Gabriel also worked for Peggy Siegal as a publicist from 2015-18 working on multiple successful Oscar campaigns for various studios.
Connect With The Filmmakers:
It's tax deductible!
ACCOLADES
Help promote my fundraising campaign
Put our donation widget on your website
The Gotham Film & Media Institute is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding, developing and celebrating the people and projects that shape the future of story.