Los Angeles – August 8, 2016
Based on a True Story – Blending Actual Archival Materials And Narrative Storytelling On Digital VOD and EST Platforms – September 27!
Desert Cathedral, Travis Gutiérrez Senger’s stunning debut feature set in the early 90’s about broken real estate developer Peter Collins, who mysteriously disappears into the desert and documents his fascinating but tragic journey on VHS tape, will be released by Random Media, on digital VOD and digital (EST) platforms – September 27. Utilizing real ‘found footage’, this evocative narrative uniquely blends fact and fiction and is carried by a captivating performance by Lee Tergesen (Oz, Generation Kill, Monster), as Peter Collins. The film also features up-and-comer Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga, Banshee) as the private detective who tracks down and befriends Collins, having been hired by his desperate wife (Petra Wright). The film incorporates audio and VHS video from the true subject’s real journey seamlessly into the film and explores the psychological breakdown of an all American man.
TRAILER – https://vimeo.com/137175257
In the spirit of the film and the found VHS footage, Desert Cathedral will also be released on limited edition VHS.
Desert Cathedral is the directorial debut feature from award-winning filmmaker Travis Gutiérrez Senger (short film accolades include the Tribeca International Film Festival and Austin’s renowned South By Southwest). This promising debut features the breathtaking cinematography of Michael Ragen (Kicks, Faults) and a powerful score from Saunder Jurriaans and Danny Bensi (Enemy, Last Days in the Desert).
Far from the world of smart phones, tablets and devices that are so pervasive in our everyday life, Desert Cathedral’s fascinating true story unfolds just as the age of personal electronics was dawning. With the advent and affordability of portable VHS recorders, for the first time ever, average people could document daily life, as Peter Collins did. Senger utilizes the existence of this real ‘found footage’ to create a unique cinematic experience that reflects our time.
Official Synopsis
Utilizing actual found footage, Desert Cathedral tells the story of a broken real estate developer, Peter Collins (Lee Tergesen), who mysteriously disappears into the Southwest in 1992, leaving behind a series of VHS tapes to his employer and family. Without the aid of the police, his desperate wife (Petra Wright) hires private investigator, Duran Palouse (Chaske Spencer) to locate his whereabouts and bring him home. After the two befriend each other, Peter discovers Duran’s true identity and flees deeper into the depths of the desert where, through a cat-and-mouse chase climax, tragedy strikes.
LOGLINE: A broken real estate developer mysteriously disappears into the Southwest in 1992, leaving behind a series of VHS tapes to his employer and family.
About the Director:
Travis Gutiérrez Senger is a New York City based Director, Writer and Producer. His past projects have won top awards at Tribeca, SXSW, Seattle, and other festivals around the world. In 2016 he co-founded Asa Nisi Masa Films, based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and is currently in development on Freewolves, a dark comedy-drama about two brothers navigating through a state-funded rehab in New York City with producer Adam Folk (Cold in July, Bushwick).
About Random Media:
Random Media is a content company that acquires and distributes films on a worldwide basis through movie theatres, conventional brick and mortar retailers, digital platforms, cable and satellite companies and television networks. Random Media’s library includes such acclaimed films as The Motel Life, Escape From Tomorrow, The Visit, Meth Head and For Those in Peril.