Delfino's Journey
STORY
Imagine watching your hometown fall deeper and deeper into the hands of ruthless, heavily armed cartel thugs, until even the police are working for the cartel. You see severed heads of guys you once knew impaled on spikes in the park where you once had family gatherings.
What was their crime? They refused to join the cartel.
You eek out an existence in the shadows, trying not to be noticed, until the day you’ve been dreading finally arrives: the day you are told that if you don’t join the cartel, it will be YOUR head on a spike. But you don’t want that life - you don’t want to be a murderer. You refuse, even though it means death.
Now you’re on the run. Nowhere is safe. And it's not only you but your entire family that’s now in danger.
That’s when you have to decide your fate. That’s when you announce: “If I have to choose between joining the cartel and death... then I choose America!”
You and your cousin hide in the trunk of a car going north. In the ancient Aztec region, north is the direction of darkness, the path to Mictlán, the Land of the Dead. Are you awaiting death in America? Or are you already dead? These are your thoughts as this surreal nightmare adventure unfolds.
Imagine you’ve had to ride for hundreds of miles in the trunk of a car, only to arrive at a hot, dusty border town teeming with hundreds of people who, just like you, are trying to escape the violence. The border is a kind of purgatory, and only those with the right amount of cash can proceed. You find another way... a path less known, but more dangerous. It means wandering in the desert for days without food, and fighting off hallucinations and despair. But you still have hope.
You find a road where a man in a new white pickup offers you a job on a ranch. But when you get there, you find it is a slave labor camp surrounded by an electric fence. You work at gunpoint. You discover a dead body. You witness planes bringing drugs to the ranch. You can’t sleep because of nightmares.
A miracle happens: a once-in-a-decade lightning storm gives you the chance to escape! With Valente, a fellow inmate, and a ferocious guard dog whom you’ve befriended, you and your cousin form a team, and ride in a boxcar to San Antonio! But local gang members are already there and they are looking for you.
Imagine your dismay when you realize that the same cartel that destroyed your hometown is also set up in San Antonio, El Paso, and Houston - as well as cities all over America! Slavery is not dead, but has been reinvented by the cartel and its American allies. You’ve made a terrible mistake - you assumed that cartels only operate in Mexico!
You are being hunted - not only by the cartels - but by immigration as well. Everywhere you turn ICE officers are grabbing people like you.
You run harder and faster than ever, searching for America!
confirmed cast
Known for:
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As Good as It Gets (1997)
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Academy Award-Winner for Best Actress in a Leading Role
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Twister (1996)
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Mad About You (1992-2019)
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Cast Away (2000)
"BITSY"
Bitsy notices Delfino’s suffering and helps him, offering him a job, even a place to stay. Bitsy’s mind is blown when she learns Delfino’s story of cartel violence that exists right in her native Texas. Practical and tough, Bitsy forms a plan to save Delfino and reunite him with Salvador and Valente. When the day is saved, Bitsy adopts the boys and celebrates new traditions with her new family.
Known for:
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The Legend of Zorro (2005)
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On the Road (2012)
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Ramona (2014)
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Salvation U.S.A. (2012)
"ESPERANZA"
Esperanza is a wild, passionate bohemian woman, and is the den-mother to a gang of fun-loving outcasts. When Delfino stumbles into their hangout, he must explain himself, which endears him to Esperanza. She offers to help the boys on their journey, even though they are wanted by the cartel - a choice that comes with terrible consequences.
"DELFINO"
A precocious 17-year-old with a talent for language, Delfino is impulsive, passionate, and innocent. Despite his small stature, Delfino boldly stands up to the murderous Los Rojos Cartel. Delfino speaks his native Nahuatl, as well as Spanish, and English, but despite his talents, he still lacks intuition and street smarts, which land him in trouble again and again. Ultimately, it is his innocence and honesty that endear him to Bitsy, who helps rescue him.
Known for:
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My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
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August: Osage County (2013)
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Young Guns (1988)
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The Family Stone (2005)
"CMDR. McCOLLOUGH"
A former soldier and Texas Ranger, Commander McCollough answers Bitsy’s call for help when the cartel showdown turns violent. He initially sees Delfino as just another “illegal” but quickly realizes that Delfino has information that can solve a long-running mystery.
Known for:
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Machete (2010)
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From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
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Machete Kills (2013)
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Heat (1995)
"UNCLE JOSÉ"
A figure of stoicism and peace among the prisoners, Uncle José is impressed by Delfino’s innocence, and offers him wisdom to help him survive the slave camp. Delfino and Salvador take care of Uncle José, helping him with the torturous labor they are forced to do. Always optimistic, Uncle José shares his secret for how to escape the camp with the boys.
Known for:
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Full Metal Jacket (1987)
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Logan (2017)
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Man on Fire (2004)
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
"ABUELO"
Wise and generous, Grandfather gives all his savings to help Delfino and Salvador escape. Grandfather leaves an indellible impression on the family with his explanation of what happens after we die. Though his life is lost at the hands of the cartel, his spirit lives on at the Day of the Dead celebration.
Handsome, stylish, and cool, Valente is more sophisticated than the average prisoner in the slave camp. Impressed by Delfino’s honesty, he quickly bonds with Delfino and Salvador, working together with them to escape the camp. Valente’s confident swagger and street smarts are vital as the three fugitives attempt to survive in Texas.
"TLASHTEKI"
Brave and fierce, Tlashteki becomes a loyal friend to Salvador after Salvador saves him from Slick’s Shotgun blasts. Tlashteki returns the favor by rescuing Salvador from Lázro. Tlashteki and Salvador form a spiritual bond, allowing them to communicate, which allows them to defeat Boss in the end.
UNconfirmed cast
"SALVADOR"
A tall, broad-shouldered boy, whose size and physical strength belies his young age of 17. Deeply spiritual, Salvador sometimes is assumed to be disabled because of his distant, serene expression. Speaking only Nahuatl, Salvador is dependent on Delfino to speak for him, even when it goes against Salvador’s instincts. Though he rarely speaks, his power of intuition extends even to animals -which allows him to befriend the guard dogs and escape from the slave camp.
"TERESA"
(8 days)
Teresa is Delfino’s sister, who finds herself all alone after the Cartel kills their grandfather. Teresa’s desperate hope is to see the boys safe on their dangerous journey. When the family has reunited again, Teresa leads the Day of the Dead Ceremony, uniting their family with Bitsy.
"BOSS"
(9 days)
Commanding, and self-assured, Boss appears to be a godsend for the lost and starving boys. Boss generously offers Delfino and Salvador food, and work on his ranch. Boss’s good-natured façade quickly fades, however, as they get closer to the “ranch” - Boss tricks them into slavery. After the boys escape, Boss will lead the cartel thugs on a relentless manhunt across Texas, culminating in the showdown with Texas Rangers.
"SLICK"
(5 days)
Slick is the sadistic foreman on the slave camp. Slick keeps his psychotic anger hidden behind mirrored glasses most of the time, but when Boss is away, Slick breaks out into violent rages. Slick puts the men through various tortures in the course of a day, aided by Lázaro, his enslaved protégé. Slick tries to keep his facial scars hidden –but when the glasses fly off, the men are horrified by his ghastly appearance – evidence that Slick himself was a victim of violence before he became a perpetrator of it.
"PINO"
(1 day)
A ruthless killer with a manicure, Pino is the boss of the South Texas Cartel, responsible for moving thousands of pounds of narcotics across the border and distributing them through an elaborate network. Pino looks like a disfigured prize fighter in designer clothes. Like a wild animal pacing relentlessly in a cage, Pino is ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
"YOLANDA"
(2 days)
A nurturing soul with an heartwarming smile, Yolanda runs a roadside restaurant on the outskirts of town. A woman of kindness, Yolanda is ready to offer food and advice to the three fugitive boys and their big red dog when they follow their noses to his place.
team
ARTHUR ALLAN SEIDELMAN | DIRECTOR
Arthur is one of the independent film world’s most acclaimed directors. He has directed over 50 films, and 20 television series. Arthur’s most recent films include SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS, with Gena Rowlands, Cheyenne Jackson, and Jacki Weaver, and THE SISTERS, starring Maria Bello. Arthur directed the Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens film musical A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Kelsey Grammer and Jane Krakowski, and PUERTO VALLARTA SQUEEZE, starring Scott Glenn and Harvey Keitel. One of Arthur’s first films was the iconic comedy that introduced Arnold Schwartzenegger to films: HERCULES IN NEW YORK.
Honors include two Emmys, five Emmy nominations, the Grand Prize from the New York Film and Television Festival, prizes from the Chicago, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Heartland Film Festivals, the Humanitas Award, Peabody Award, Western Heritage Award, and three Christopher Awards.
DEAN CUNDEY | CINEMATOGRAPHER
Dean Cundey reigns supreme as one of the best, most prolific, and talented cinematographers to ever grace celluloid with his often striking and accomplished photography. Cundey received a great deal of attention and accolades for his exemplary work on five films for John Carpenter: Halloween (1978) (Cundey’s expert use of a fluid prowling camera, one of the first-ever uses of what became known as a Steadicam, became a key motif in a spate of slasher pictures made in this breakthrough independent smash’s influential wake), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), and Big Trouble in Little China (1986). Cundey’s collaborations with Robert Zemeckis are likewise fine and impressive: Romancing the Stone (1984), all three “Back to the Future” features, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (Cundey was nominated for an Oscar for his outstanding contributions to this movie), and Death Becomes Her (1992).
LAURENCE BENNETT | PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Laurence Bennett’s feature production design credits include IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, FREEDOM WRITERS, TRAITOR, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, DARK PLACES, and Academy Award Best Picture CRASH (2006 ADG nomination). For 2012 Academy Award Best Picture THE ARTIST, he received Oscar, BAFTA, ADG, and BFCA nominations, and was awarded the César by the Académie Des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. For HBO he designed THE WIZARD OF LIES, directed by Barry Levinson, and the David Simon miniseries SHOW ME A HERO. Television pilots and series include GREY’S ANATOMY, THE DEUCE, ONCE AND AGAIN, EZ STREETS, SNEAKY PETE, and THE RESIDENT.
BUFFALO 8 | EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Founded in 2012 by partners Matthew Helderman & Luke Taylor, Buffalo 8 is a full-service film and media company, focused on production, post-production, and finance based in Santa Monica, California, with films premiering and awarded at Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, and SXSW.
Buffalo 8 is built on the fusion of entrepreneurial ethos and quality filmmaking. The company is also partnered with industry-leader BondIt Media Capital, enabling streamlined production and finance opportunities, and ABS Payroll for payroll accounting services for indie projects of all sizes.
MOCTESUMA ESPARZA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Esparza was born and raised in East Los Angeles, California. His father, a refugee of the Mexican Revolution, migrated to the United States in 1918. His father’s awareness of the motivations behind the Revolution imbued him with a strong sense of social justice. As a child, he viewed Spanish language films in the many Los Angeles theaters that offered such fare. Moctesuma was a theatre major in high school. He acted, played the saxophone, and loved movies.
JOSEPH N. COHEN
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Joseph N. Cohen, a Yale and Oxford graduate, is a distinguished figure in both international finance and the entertainment industry. With a career spanning senior roles at prestigious firms like N.M. Rothschild & Sons, Salomon Brothers, and Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb, he specialized in investment banking, particularly in media and entertainment financing across the globe. Cohen's transition to producing and financing motion pictures led him to co-found American Entertainment Investors (AEI), advising major production companies like Alcon and River Road Entertainment. He has been instrumental in producing and financing successful films for decades. Those films include "La La Land," "12 Years a Slave," "Brokeback Mountain," "Sicario," "Point Break," "Begin Again," and "The Blindside."
MICHAEL POLLACK
PRODUCER
Michael is the founder and former President of a litigation support firm that is today part of an international group of companies. Specializing for decades in M&A and Turnaround Management he has spearheaded tens of billions of dollars of financing in commercial real estate, business and entertainment-related transactions. Michael is the Chairman and CEO of Pollack Films and a managing partner of APW Film Partners. He has been involved in the production of theatre and screen features for more than 35 years.
JO HARPER | STORY
Jo Harper is one of this country’s best known authors of books for young people, both fiction and non-fiction. On her own and sometimes in partnership with her daughter, Josephine, she has authored over 15 published works, including THE LEGEND OF MEXICATL, BIRTH OF THE FIFTH SUN, TERESA’S JOURNEY, and the highly acclaimed DELFINO’S JOURNEY, for which she received the prestigious Western Heritage Award. She is also the author of a collection of her work entitled THE HARPER’S VOICE. Ms. Harper is a graduate of Texas Tech University and Penn State as well as universities in Mexico and Spain. She is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is the winner of highly respected Willa Cather Award. Now in her 80s, she continues to teach in high-risk schools in Houston.
SIMON MILLER | SCREENPLAY
Simon holds a degree in philosophy and art from the University of Chicago, and was an art director and fashion photographer at the New York fashion advertising agency that he co-owned for 10 years. Simon was co-producer on the recent film SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS. Simon is also an actor who has appeared in such shows as GOSSIP GIRL, VAMPIRE DIARIES, and CSI: MIAMI.
PRODUCTION
Production is scheduled to begin in 2024 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
