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Once Upon a time in the Desert New Indie
Posted by: Produced and directed by award winning filmmaker, Marco Santiago, Once Upon a Time in the Desert is a highly stylized and loose interpretation of the violent event that took place on November 4th, 2003, when rival gangs of human traffickers engaged in a rolling gun battle along Interstate 10 in Arizona.“My aim for this project was to depict an aspect of human trafficking that is not too uncommon in Arizona,” says director Marco Santiago. “Human trafficking is an issue that continues to be at the forefront of our nation’s public policy, and this film simply illustrates one facet of a worldwide multi-billion dollar industry – its violence.” Although the rolling gun battle depicted in the film actually took place on Interstate 10 just south of Phoenix, the film itself was shot on a desert dirt road in North Scottsdale, Arizona. The event that this film is based on took place at approximately the same time that Mexican President Vicente Fox landed in the Phoenix area in order to meet with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to discuss border related issues. The highly publicized shootout highlighted the violent nature of human trafficking, and illegal immigration in general.
Shot during the summer of 2004 on 16mm and MiniDV, Once upon a Time in the Desert is a highly stylized piece. “The cinematography reflects the highly kinetic nature of the action in the desert. It is a fast paced film that is over before one even realizes,” says Marco. The film is help along with the aid of a fast passed Latino musical score composed by Rodolfo Madero of Eureka Productions.
Once Upon a Time was delayed in its completion while Volarefilms LLC began production of Diablita, an action-comedy short film that stars Jeff Fahey (Lawnmower Man, Wyatt Earp, Silverado) and Amy Weber (Son of a Beach, Joe Dirt, Pauly Shore is Dead). “Financial issues with the completion of Diablita allowed me to go back to finish Once Upon a Time in the Desert,” says Marco. “I’m glad that this film is finally going to see the light of day. Our hopes are for it to entertain and maybe even help bring more focus to the issue of human trafficking as the film begins to make the festival rounds.”
For more information regarding Once Upon a Time in the Desert, visit the film’s official website at www.onceuponatimedesert.com
