NEW YORK, N.Y. — “Red Canyon,” a feature film by Puerto Rican director, Giovanni Rodriguez, will screen at the Helen Mills Theatre, 137-139 West 26th Street (Between 6th and 7th Avenue), at 10:30PM on Saturday, July 26th, as part of the HBO Presents: International Latino Film Festival. The cast of “Red Canyon” consists of New York residents Norman Reedus, “Boondock Saints” and Noah Fleiss, the Indie anti-hero of “Brick.” Other members of the cast include: Christine Lakin, fresh from the “Hottie and Nottie,” Tim Draxl, “Swimming Upstream,” Ankur Bhatt, Katie Maguire, Walter Rodriguez, and Richard Pratt.
In “Red Canyon,” Devon takes his sister’s bandaged hand and tells her what happened. He explains how it should have been just like all their other visits to their mother’s hometown. How everything was fine until they went to the cave.
Years later Devon and Regina, return to the desert to sell their mother’s property and get on with their lives. Regina isn’t sure how she feels about returning to Caineville. Part of her wants to remember what happened that day – what they did to her – because maybe if she could remember, then she could forget.
At the local watering hole Regina and Devon are startled by an unpleasant confrontation with their old acquaintances Mac and Harley. Not everyone is happy that Regina and Devon have returned to Caineville.
The line between the past and present blurs as Regina moves through the twisted desert landscape. She begins to see images from the cave everywhere. In the vast wasteland there are too many places to hide – too many places where someone could be watching.
Regina returns to the cave to put the past behind her once and for all. But returning to that dark place awakens a killing rage in a town where everyone has ties that bind.
As they are hunted through the desert Regina realizes that no one and nothing can be trusted – not even her own memories. The challenge wasn’t returning to Caineville. The challenge is getting out alive.
After working on film crews for many years, co-writers Giovanni Rodriguez and Laura Pratt were able to procure financing for their savagely fun and disturbing screenplay. The strong writing and edgy nature of “Red Canyon” lured veteran New York and Hollywood actors to the badlands of Southern Utah for filming.
“Red Canyon,” was filmed near the longest stretch of uninhabited highway in the United States. This area is a major drug trafficking corridor where traffickers bring drugs from Mexico and California to Denver and the Midwest.
In the badlands of Utah meth-amphetamine use, violence, rape, insanity, and poverty co-exist with the most incredible natural landscapes on earth. “Red Canyon” explores many of dark things that still happen in the still lawless corners of the west.
The film was so controversial it was turned down for the film rebates and incentives package the state of Utah gives productions that shoot in the state.
The director is a graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He honed his skills as a director and a production designer in Puerto Rico. Four years ago he moved to New York and worked as a scenic foreman on films such as “American Gangster.” He used his training in design to create a remarkable feel that few first time directors can emulate.
The end result is that “Red Canyon” has an amazing look rarely seen in Indie features. It is a dark, edgy story that will leave you guessing until the end. The film caught the attention of screeners at the HBO Presents: International Latino Film Festival and they placed the film in their “Films on The Edge,” category to acknowledge this is not your average thriller.
For more information on “Red Canyon,” visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1064801/ or http://www.redcanyonthemovie.com or call 888.583.5660.
[tags]HBO Presents, International Latino Film Festival, Red Canyon Pictures, Puerto Rican director Giovanni Rodriguez[/tags]
