Post by Claudia on Oct 23, 2017 12:00:31 GMT
www.liorgeller.com/wedieyoung.html
WE DIE YOUNG
About the Film
Washington DC. A symbol of freedom and power in the eyes of our nation and the rest of the world. But in the shadows of the looming monuments and majestic government buildings, lies an underworld very different from the well-recognized images of our nation’s capital – a world ruled over by violent gangs and ruthless drug dealers.
Based on Lior's award winning short, WE DIE YOUNG is a fast‐paced crime thriller taking place over the course of 24 hours in the brutal drug slums of DC, where a young Hispanic boy dreams of finding a new life for him and his younger brother. When a traumatized veteran comes into the neighborhood looking for drugs to escape his own reality, an unusual opportunity arises that can change their lives forever.
Comparables: Training Day, City of God, Taxi Driver, La Haine, Bloody Sunday, Slumdog Millionaire.
The script is a culmination of seven years of research, working with veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, local DC cops and even former gang members who granted exclusive access into the highly insulated world of what the FBI considers to be America's most dangerous gang.
Lior is currently meeting with actors and potential investors for a summer 2017 shoot.
Director's Note
While experiencing my short film’s surprising reception, I witnessed the universality of what I had thought was a very personal story. From attending screenings in Arabic-Israeli neighborhoods to inner-city youth programs in Paris, I was amazed by how the tale of a boy who dreams of a better life outside the disenfranchised world he is born into, crosses all boundaries of culture and language. And how a soldier coming home faces similar obstacles and hardships, no matter where in the world ‘home’ for him really is, be it an Israeli sergeant returning from Gaza or a US veteran coming home from Afghanistan.
As a former combat soldier, I realize now, years later, how my experiences drove me to tell this story – the story of PTSD and the sheer determination to break the shackles of a dead-end life; the story of a young man who will do anything to escape his own inner demons and of a boy who dreams of one day waking up outside the nightmarish reality of his violent upbringing; the story of how, for a very brief moment, two lost souls will find in each other a way out of their respective hells.
This is the story of WE DIE YOUNG and with it I hope to create a breakthrough American neo-realistic thriller. Naturalistic yet stylized. I plan on approaching the production with a clearly-structured script, detailed storyboards and a meticulously planned-out shoot. But leave room for improvisation, in order to capture the raw and unflinching immediacy and truthfulness needed to tell the story. In the vein of films such as Bloody Sunday and City of God, I want the audience to experience WE DIE YOUNG right through the eyes of its protagonists and feel like it’s really happening, so that they will receive a voyeuristic two-hour glimpse into one of this country’s darkest of corners.
WE DIE YOUNG
About the Film
Washington DC. A symbol of freedom and power in the eyes of our nation and the rest of the world. But in the shadows of the looming monuments and majestic government buildings, lies an underworld very different from the well-recognized images of our nation’s capital – a world ruled over by violent gangs and ruthless drug dealers.
Based on Lior's award winning short, WE DIE YOUNG is a fast‐paced crime thriller taking place over the course of 24 hours in the brutal drug slums of DC, where a young Hispanic boy dreams of finding a new life for him and his younger brother. When a traumatized veteran comes into the neighborhood looking for drugs to escape his own reality, an unusual opportunity arises that can change their lives forever.
Comparables: Training Day, City of God, Taxi Driver, La Haine, Bloody Sunday, Slumdog Millionaire.
The script is a culmination of seven years of research, working with veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, local DC cops and even former gang members who granted exclusive access into the highly insulated world of what the FBI considers to be America's most dangerous gang.
Lior is currently meeting with actors and potential investors for a summer 2017 shoot.
Director's Note
While experiencing my short film’s surprising reception, I witnessed the universality of what I had thought was a very personal story. From attending screenings in Arabic-Israeli neighborhoods to inner-city youth programs in Paris, I was amazed by how the tale of a boy who dreams of a better life outside the disenfranchised world he is born into, crosses all boundaries of culture and language. And how a soldier coming home faces similar obstacles and hardships, no matter where in the world ‘home’ for him really is, be it an Israeli sergeant returning from Gaza or a US veteran coming home from Afghanistan.
As a former combat soldier, I realize now, years later, how my experiences drove me to tell this story – the story of PTSD and the sheer determination to break the shackles of a dead-end life; the story of a young man who will do anything to escape his own inner demons and of a boy who dreams of one day waking up outside the nightmarish reality of his violent upbringing; the story of how, for a very brief moment, two lost souls will find in each other a way out of their respective hells.
This is the story of WE DIE YOUNG and with it I hope to create a breakthrough American neo-realistic thriller. Naturalistic yet stylized. I plan on approaching the production with a clearly-structured script, detailed storyboards and a meticulously planned-out shoot. But leave room for improvisation, in order to capture the raw and unflinching immediacy and truthfulness needed to tell the story. In the vein of films such as Bloody Sunday and City of God, I want the audience to experience WE DIE YOUNG right through the eyes of its protagonists and feel like it’s really happening, so that they will receive a voyeuristic two-hour glimpse into one of this country’s darkest of corners.
