IT'S ABOUT A RURAL HERDER, whose quiet life is disrupted when a mysterious corporation takes over the land his alpaca graze on. He is plagued by visions and increasing paranoia after his entire flock inexplicably dies in the highlands of the Andes.

OUR 'CAUSE'? Just a great story. We greatly appreciate your support, but we're no more deserving than any other artists on WeFunder. We hope you'll invest simply because you want to see our film and you think others do too... 

...BUT THERE'S A TWIST. And we don't want to give it away by outlining the entire plot of our film. Like all those evil Hollywood trailers...

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

THE SHEPHERD is an engaging procedural account of a supernatural event and its aftermath. It'll have the depth of an intimate character study and the wonderment of a sci-fi flick. Amidst the wonder and awe, subtle moments of humanity and hope will shine through. Like taking a character from a Vittorio de Setta film and tossing them into Vast of Night or Arrival. Or if Abdi from Fishing Without Nets encountered a UFO.

The science fiction portrayed in the film is naturalistic and understated. It is by no means glamorized and yet its awe and wonder resonates as a major theme throughout the story. But it would be disingenuous of me to pretend I wasn’t attracted to cinematic UFO encounters. It’s an art form unto itself, visually arresting and universally compelling. I want to treat this genre with the utmost seriousness and take this UFO-sighting story into a setting and culture we've never seen interact with extraterrestrials before: The Quechua people in the Andes Mountains. 

If you were expecting something more profound, I offer you this truth: the screenplay is a deeply personal exploration of parental mortality and the emotional toll it takes on surviving family members. I was initially drawn to this story because of the fascinating intersection between ancient Incan culture and the high number of UFO sightings in the Andes. But as I dove into the development of the story I found there was a depth of meaning in this story that was incredibly personal. I wondered if extraterrestrials were our ancestors and if their visits to our dimension are a way for us to connect with their spirits. But heartfelt motivations should not be a distraction to my audience; these things don’t make it to the big screen. Stories need to stand on their own. 

So do directors. I’m hands-on. I’ve led large crews on feature films and commercial sets, I’ve shot award-winning films on shoestring budgets, I’ve operated a floating movie production and filmed on skiffs in the Indian Ocean. What I’ve never done is use my distinct visual skill set to realize something with supernatural elements. To that end, I humbly ask for your support. Put your faith in my team and we will come through. I’m comfortable in these adventurous settings and I've gladly taken the opportunity to be the first investor in this project putting up my own money for the project.