''Sun Belt Express'' is a 2014 American independent

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film, written by Evan Buxbaum, Chance Mullen, and Gregorio Castro, and directed by Evan Buxbaum. Starring

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in ''The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

Rachael Harris Rachael Elaine Harris (born January 12, 1968) is an American actress and comedian. She is known for her numerous acting roles, such as starring as Dr. Linda Martin in ''Lucifer'', her role in the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' film series, and as a gu ...

, Ana de la Reguera,

India Ennenga India Ennenga (born November 16, 1994) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Sofia Bernette in the HBO series '' Treme'', Camille Winship in the A&E drama '' The Returned'' and the voice of the titlular character in the Nick Jr. ...

Miguel Sandoval Miguel Sandoval (born November 16, 1951) is an American actor of film and television. Biography Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. H ...

, and

Stephen Lang Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for roles in films including '' Manhunter'' (1986), '' Gettysburg'', '' Tombstone'' (both 1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''Conan the Barbaria ...

, the project had its world premiere on June 11, 2014, at the Champs-Elysees Film Festival.

Plot

Former ethics Professor Allen King (

) has some problems. After being terminated for plagiarizing the work of a student, he hits a personal rock bottom. To survive and get the cash he needs to cover his ex-wife Margaret's (

) expenses, he ends up shuttling illegal immigrants across the border and into Arizona from Mexico. On his most recent trip, he is accompanied by his pregnant Mexican girlfriend Anna ( Ana de la Reguera) and his teenage daughter Emily (

). While still south of the US border and with three undocumented immigrants supplied by human trafficker Ramon Velazquez (

) stuffed in the trunk of the car, the party crosses paths with crooked US Border Patrol officers Rick (

) and Cass (Michael Sirow).

Cast

as Allen King *

as Margaret King * Ana de la Reguera as Ana *

as Emily King *

as Ramon Velazquez *

as Border Patrol Officer Rick * Oscar Avila as Rafi * Michael Sirow as Border Patrol Officer Cass * Robert Buxbaum as Pat * Greg Eichman as Jack * Mario Moreno as Julian * Chance Mullen as Josh * James Ning as Wei * Lisa Radecki as Professor * Emma E. Ramos as Emma * Brenden Wedner as Jimmy * Arturo Castro as Miguel * Deborah Chavez as Miguel's Mother

Production

The project filmed for almost a month in 2012 at

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

locations in Belen,

Los Lunas Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population is 14,835 inside the village limits due to the new housing developments at El Cerro de Los Lunas (Huning Ranch). It is the county ...

, Socorro and

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, with some financing obtained through

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

campaigns at IndieGoGo and

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. In July 2012, ''

Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

'' listed the project as its "Project of the Day".

Release

The film had its world premiere on June 11, 2014 at the Champs-Elysees Film Festival. and its New Mexico premiere October 18, 2014 at the

Santa Fe Independent Film Festival The Santa Fe International Film Festival (SFiFF), formerly known as the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, is an American film festival held annually in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the Lensic Performing Arts Center, Violet Crown Cinema, Center for Co ...

Marvista Entertainment MarVista Entertainment is an American production company, based in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. The company mainly provides financing and some original content, mainly made-for-TV films and direct-to-SVOD titles, many of which are carried b ...

obtained United States and Latin American rights to distribute the film, which they have slated for a release through

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

for on August 18, 2015.

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' praised the film and wrote it was "a rough-and-tumble but occasionally very funny indie comedy".

Awards and nomination

* 2013, while in post-production received 'US In Progress' award at the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland * 2014, Audience Award Nomination as 'Best American Feature Film' at Champs-Elysees Film Festival * 2014, Won 'The Grand Prix Award: Dramatic' at

Chelsea Film Festival Chelsea Film Festival (CFF) is an international film festival and a non-profit organization based in New York which screens independent films from emerging directors. The festival offers a wide range of films, including documentaries and feature- ...

* 2015, Won 'Festival Award - Best Actor' for

at Chelsea Film Festival * 2015, Won 'Festival Award - Best Actress'for

at Chelsea Film Festival * 2015, Won 'Festival Award - Best Supporting Actress' for Ana de la Reguera at Chelsea Film Festival * 2014, nominated for 'New Visions Award - Main Feature Film Award' at Bahamas International Film Festival * 2015, Won 'Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking - Editing' for Beth Moran at

Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival have permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival beg ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun Belt Express 2014 films 2014 comedy-drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s Spanish-language films 2010s road comedy-drama films American road comedy-drama films American independent films 2014 independent films 2010s American films