FAR FROM THE WICKED is our upcoming film project, a psychological thriller about a family that finds itself caught between two polarized groups – their conservative religious community and the feminist doomsday cult occupying their land. While the events are entirely fictional, they explore very real contemporary themes of the moment, like the current culture war, congressional deadlock, vitriol on social media, propaganda, and the innocent many who end up unwittingly embroiled in the conflict. It’s the kind of film that people relate to and discuss, as they find themselves gravitating to either end of the spectrum. 

Over the past 2 years, our physical production and creative teams have researched, developed, scouted, and hired key department heads; additionally, we have written and rewritten the script to set up ‘FAR FROM THE WICKED’ for ultimate success. Now, we look to you, our valued investors – for a key piece of the puzzle. We’re raising the final funds against a total budget of $1.7 million dollars for development, production, post-production, and marketing.

WHY INVEST?

There exists a variety of ways that a film production receives financing for a film. Major studios bankroll adaptations of pre-existing Intellectual property, franchises, and movie stars’ passion projects. Small-scale action movies are financed by pre-selling distribution rights to foreign and domestic sales companies. Independent films and horror/thrillers raise money from equity investors and premiere at film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, or Fantastic Fest. While studios have a difficult time profiting two or three times the budget of their film (due to increasingly high budgets like the latest Avatar), they still see much better profits than small-scale action movies, which often see little to no profit due to pre-selling the rights. The greatest potential return on investment belongs to independent films, particularly dark genres, like horror and thrillers thanks to dedicated fans who actively seek out new entries and amplify their favorites on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

FAR FROM THE WICKED will be following this latter approach. We have carefully selected our script and marketing plan to target this audience and create the best environment for a successful investment.  Our goal is to fund the film entirely through equity financing and then take it to festivals for its initial marketing push followed by a social media campaign. This maximizes our potential ROI when we distribute the film or sell directly to a streamer.

ABOUT THE FILM

In the dead of winter, small-town apple farmers Ruth and Wade are struggling to keep their children fed and their orchards out of foreclosure following another poor harvest. When they find paying tenants for an unused parcel of land, it would seem their prayers have been answered.

Shortly after the new tenants’ arrival, the couple realizes they’ve unwittingly invited a mysterious and possibly dangerous cult into their conservative community.  As the events unfold, they quickly find themselves caught in the middle of a conflict that’s been brewing for decades; one that begins to reveal the dark secrets and lies Ruth and Wade have been fed their entire lives, soon to explode in chilling violence and supernatural events.

For our lead protagonist, RUTH, we’ve cast Tanaya Beatty, who YELLOWSTONE fans may recognize as the tough-as-nails beauty, Avery. She also appears in David Cronenberg’s CRIMES OF THE FUTURE alongside Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart and has several promising projects in the works. Additionally, we are in dialogue with an exciting actor from a hit Netflix series for the role of Ruth’s husband WADE. Finally, we are looking to cast two well-known veteran actors to play the roles of the town’s sheriff (aka Ruth’s father) SILAS and the charismatic and cunning cult leader MOTHER.

We’ll be shooting in Rochester, NY and Toronto, Canada in Q4 2023. Both locations offer substantial tax credits, saving us significant costs.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Director Sig Culhane is a Rochester native graduating with a master’s degree in film from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. Sig is passionate about exploring dark unsettling subject matter with strong female leads; this is quite evident with his first film, which premiered at Cannes. With FAR FROM THE WICKED, Sig plans to take these themes to the next level, bringing an overpowering sense of dread and foreboding to even the most innocent-seeming moments in the story.

Writer Liz Buda sold her first feature, REFUGE, shortly after graduating from UCLA film school with an MFA in screenwriting. Hailing from what she lovingly refers to as “a family of criminals and con men,” Liz embraces the dark, as is all too obvious in her upcoming series ZERO HOUR, which tells the true story of her grandfather, a WW2 concentration camp survivor turned mafioso, as well the horrors faced by Ruth and family in FAR FROM THE WICKED.

The film will be produced by THE VENDETTA GROUP. The partners of the company bring in excess of a combined half century of entertainment production experience. Jesse Wheeler has served in key roles on films, commercials, music videos, and promos for Warner Bros, MGM, Disney, AT&T, NBCUniversal and many more. He learned producing in the classroom at top-ranked USC film school and, more importantly, under veteran producer Bill Fay (The Hangover, 300, Independence Day). Jasper Grey has served as a producer for films at Sony Pictures, Umedia, and for the upcoming Anna Nicole Smith biopic GUSHER starring Elle Fanning. He also co-founded the gamified streaming platform Filmocracy which was acquired by Liquid Media Group in 2021. Vendetta’s head of physical production Brent Goshen has overseen projects for brands like Warner Bros, Discovery+, DIRECTV, Royal Caribbean, and Kay Jewelers.

THE VENDETTA GROUP’s sister company, THE VENDETTA AGENCY, specializes in digital marketing campaigns for entertainment and technology companies and will be producing trailers and promos for the film far below cost, giving the film a leg up on the competition while saving significant funds.

THE NON-MONETARY PERKS OF INVESTING

Invest because money is cool, but invest in FAR FROM THE WICKED for so much more. The partners of the Vendetta Group came together because we are like-minded in our love of THE PROCESS of making films. We love to do, talk about, and teach all aspects of this process. Think of this as a Master Class in film production. As an investor, you’ll have an insider’s  look at the making of the film, receive invites to exclusive events and screenings with the filmmakers, be on set, and be credited on the film (see more below). At the Vendetta Group, we’re known for investing in relationships, not only for this project but for the many sure to follow.

CREDITS COMMENSURATE WITH INVESTMENT

Executive Producer: $250,000+

Co-Executive Producer: $100,000 – $250,000

Co-Producer: $50,000 – $100,000

Associate Producer: $25,000 – $50,000

Special Thanks: $15,000 – $25,000

For investments of less than $15,000, please contact us.

If interested in having a further discussion about investing in Far From the Wicked please email invest@vendetta.group to set up a call with our Producers.

We thank you for your consideration.