& Presents THE LAST SURVIVORS THE LAST SURVIVORS Best Screenplay SanfordTM International Film Festival Audience Choice “Apocalyptic nightmare The Last Survivors doesn’t need a gimmick - It’s TM Sanford as brutal and beautiful as genre flicks get...” - Amy Nicholson, LA WEEKLY International Film Festival PRODUCER US DISTRIBUTOR PUBLICIST TECHNICAL DETAILS Contact: Chris Harding MPI Media Group Sapkar PR Runtime: 95min Cell: 1(309)310-8532 Contact: Nicole Mikuzis Contact:Daniela Sapkar Format: DCP or Bluray [email protected] Office: 1(773)875-4550 Office:1(646)644-4418 Sound: 5.1 Contact: Dante Federighi [email protected] Cell:1(732)674-2824 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cell: 1(312)961-8303 www.mpimedia.com [email protected] COO: United States 6/2014 [email protected] [email protected] THE LAST SURVIVORS LOGLINE: THE LAST SURVIVORS is a post-apocalyptic thriller about a teenage girl fighting to protect the last working well in a drought-stricken valley. BRIEF SYNOPSIS: At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seven- teen-year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush. It’s been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by, while dreaming of escape. When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether to run and hide or bravely fight for the few cher- ished people and things she has left. KEY FILMMAKER LIST Tom Hammock – Writer/Director/Producer Jacob Forman – Writer/Producer Seth Caplan - Producer Chris Harding – Producer Dante Federighi – Executive Producer Billy Federighi – Executive Producer Seamus Tierney - Cinematographer Sarah M. Pott – Production Designer Emma Potter – Costume Designer Sarah Broshar - Editor Adam Wingard - Editor Arlie Day - Casting Emily Schweber CSA - Casting Consultant Dimitri Loginowski - Visual Effect Supervisor Craig DeLeon - Composer Jakob Trollback - Title Design CAST LIST Haley Lu Richardson – Kendal Booboo Stewart - Dean Jon Gries – Carson Michael Welch – Gabriel Barbara Crampton - Grace Michael Massee – Walker Rena Owen – Claire Max Charles – Alby Jacqueline Emerson – Skye Nicole Fox – Brooke Michael McCartney - Cadiz Leo Lee – Judas Casey Adams – Chance Sheridan Crist – Mackie Neal Polister – Thomas Veronica Sixtos - Azalea Fivel Stewart - Pia THE LAST SURVIVORS DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT As a child, I spent a great deal of time in deserts around the world helping my father, a field biologist, collect venomous animals. My father had very strict rules regarding water consumption on these trips. I had nightmares about running out of water. More than a billion people on earth lack access to safe drinking water. Here in the US, we are in the midst of a massive drought. It’s been getting worse with each year. A global water crisis is in full effect. Governments have historically controlled their populations by controlling the water supply. This idea forms the basis of THE LAST SURVIVORS: those who control the water control the land and the people. My cowriter and I stepped back from the enormous scale of this water issue to focus on a very small, character driven story set many years into our current drought, about a single dry valley controlled by killers, and two teenagers hiding in fear and defending the valley’s last working well. It’s the classic western storyline of the land grab, mixed up with a post apocalyptic world and elements of horror and action. We consciously allowed elements of these different genres of film to creep into our film, without adhering to the rules any particular one genre. Our goal being to prove that a film can be made on a modest budget that truly creates a futuristic world and immerses the audience in action and horror. Given our modest budget, I wanted to shoot in a place where this water crisis is already quite advanced. We found our perfect location in an area of California that as recently as the 1980’s had been thriving alfalfa croplands. Mismanagement of water and industrial pollution, compounded by drought, caused the land to salt up; then the wind blew off the topsoil, and families walked away from their farms. This is the exact farmland depicted in ERIN BROCKOVICH. Driving to set through early morning dust storms, and spending our days among sand buried cars and abandoned homes, really affected the cast and crew. We thrived on that. To support the real world aspect of our production and narrative, I chose to approach the film practically wherever possible, using real squibs and fire, creating machines with gears and working parts, and shooting only with available daylight, to name a few examples. We worked with a tiny crew in order to stay nimble, and our actors, fully immersed in the process, had to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions of the California desert midwinter. It was also important to me to adhere to a strict and intimate POV: Kendal’s journey is a tough one. I hope that as the audience accompanies her through this wasteland, every abandoned farm, salted-up field and dry lakebed will look frighteningly familiar and present, and not like the wild fantasy of some impossible, futuristic world. - Tom Hammock AWARDS Twin Cities - Indie Vision Award: Breakthrough Performance, Las Vegas - Best Actress & Best Screenplay, Other Worlds Austin - Best Production Design Sanford - Audience Award, Best Screenplay KEY REVIEWS “Hammock’s direction is superb; every moment of every scene matters, and the film shifts between action and drama superbly.” “...Hammock may have begun his career making worlds for other directors, but given a chance to create his own here, he not only succeeds but excels.” -James Rocchi, INDIEWIRE http://www.indiewire.com/article/laff-review-post-apocalyptic-drama-the-well-is-a-superb-debut-for-tom-s-hammock-20140618 “Festivals will certainly consider the film for genre programming and potential theatrical release is also a possibility with additional favorable exposure.” “Blending elements of post-apocalyptic thriller with classic Western conventions, director Tom Hammock draws on his extensive experience as a produc- tion designer and his background as a graphic novelist with this distinctive, near-future debut feature.” “Hammock’s carefully composed widescreen shots of the parched landscape contribute to crafting the film’s stripped-down, distinctly menacing visual aesthetic and emphasize the isolation of the inhabitants, forced to compete for water and survival.” -Justin Lowe, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/well-laff-review-711976 “Apocalyptic nightmare The LAST SURVIVORS doesn’t need a gimmick — it’s as brutal and beautiful as genre flicks get…” - Amy Nicholson, LA WEEKLY http://www.laweekly.com/2014-06-05/filmtv/la-film-fest-2014-what-you-should-see/ THE LAST SURVIVORS Booboo Stewart - Dean (X-men: Days of Future Past, Twilight) Haley Lu Richardson – Kendal (Haley walked in from extras casting and blew everyone away, despite her only previous credits being a local Arizona industrial and a Christmas tornado feature.) Nicole Fox – Brooke (America’s Next Top Model) Jon Gries – Carson (Napoleon Dynamite, Taken) Michael McCartney - Cadiz (The Amazing Spiderman, Halloween: Resurrection) THE LAST SURVIVORS Michael Welch – Gabriel (All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, Twilight) Rena Owen – Claire (Once Were Warriors, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones) Jacqueline Emerson – Skye (The Hunger Games) Max Charles – Alby (The Amazing Spiderman 1 & 2, American Sniper) Michael Massee – Walker (Se7en, The Crow) Barbara Crampton - Grace (You’re Next, Re-Animator) THE LAST SURVIVORS HALEY LU RICHARDSON - KENDAL Haley Lu was raised in Phoenix, AZ by right-brained creative parents, Valerie (graphic designer) and Forrest Richardson (golf course architect). Her desire to entertain was apparent to her and everyone around her from a very early age. She's a goof ball- and all she ever wanted was to put on a show. Haley Lu was a member of Cannedy Performing Arts competitive dance company for 8 years and trained 20 hours a week. During that time she was bestowed prestigious titles within the dance community. She moved to LA in 2011 at the age of 16 and booked her first lead role in the TV movie "Christmas Twister." Since then she has appeared on Disney Channel's Shake It Up, MTV's Awkward and starred in feature films, "The Last Survivors", "The Young Kieslowski", and "Escape From Polygamy" (which recently had it's world premier on Lifetime.) Between films Haley Lu had the pleasure of work- ing alongside Kelly Preston and Jane Seymour in the ABC/20th Century Fox pilot "Adopted." Haley Lu was last seen in ABC Family's PLL spinoff series, Ravenswood as 'Tess'. THE LAST SURVIVORS BOOBOO STEWART - DEAN Booboo Stewart was thrust into the spotlight with his winning the coveted role of Seth Clearwater in the Twilight Saga Eclipse and reprising the role in both Breaking Dawn 1 and 2. At age 10 Booboo began his career as a model, participating in numerous campaigns. He received a record deal at the age of 12 with Walt Disney records-touring with acts such as Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and the Cheetah Girls. Booboo first worked on camera as a stunt person in films like Beowulf and then was captured by the acting bug after watching Heath Ledgers performance as the 'Joker' . Booboo strives to play interesting roles and he can soon be seen in White Frog, The Last Survivors, Space Warriors and An Evergreen Christmas. Booboo is an accomplished martial artist - winning two World Championships and being inducted into the Jr Blackbelt Hall of Fame.