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South of 8

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South of 8
Poster
Directed byTony Olmos
Written byTony Olmos
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTony Olmos
Edited byTony Olmos
Music bySergio Corona
Production
company
Distributed byMultiVisionnaire Pictures
Release dates
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9,000[1]

South of 8 is a 2016 American crime drama heist film written and directed by Tony Olmos in his directorial debut. The film stars Brian Patrick Butler, George Jac, Jennifer Paredes, Kathryn Schott, and Raye Richards.

The story is centered around a young group of criminals in San Diego knocking off banks in the dystopian future. It was made with a guerrilla filmmaking approach and premiered at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival in 2016 where it won Best Dramatic Screenplay.

Plot

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San Diego in the 2040s has unemployment and crime at an all time high. Government surveillance, mass poverty and drought has decimated much of the population. Economic divide has caused society to be on the brink of another Great Depression in the United States.

Victor Vasquez (George Jac) is released from prison and subsequently forms a group called "The Vanishers" with Ryan Bertrand (Brian Patrick Butler) and Lori Randolph (Kathryn Schott). In disguise, Bertrand is a bank robber, Vasquez is the getaway driver and Randolph is a hacker who disrupts surveillance drones scouting the area. After conducting several heists, the group lays low for a while. Vasquez meets Emma (Jennifer Paredes) who wants him to leave the life of crime, but "The Vanishers" are in too deep with Lt. Armando Harris (Shane P. Allen), a detective closing in on them.

After a case of mistaken identity, Bertrand hires a mercenary named Benji (Luke Pensabene) and a thief named Lola 5 (Raye Richards), the last surviving member of a group of women vigilantes known as "The Lolas." They take on more banks, and come across Johannes Koppel (Michael C. Burgess), a diamond merchant who seeks to exact revenge on the group. The group retreats to a safe house with Emma.

Cast

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Production

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Writer, director, and producer Tony Olmos

Originally intended to be a short film, Tony Olmos said the idea of the story was if past gangsters had existed in the future.[2] Principal photography occurred in San Diego County, including Ramona,[3] with a local cast and crew and a $9,000 budget.[1]

During an interview with IntelleXual Entertainment, Jac said it was a guerrilla film because the schedule of filming had to be spread out over a year. Butler stated Olmos was inspired by spaghetti westerns and compared the style of filmmaking to El Mariachi and Reservoir Dogs.[4]

Olmos said he obtained injuries to his hand and foot during production that required him to be in a wheelchair throughout completion.[5] Filming and editing was finalized in a span of 18 months[1] and the film is Olmos' directorial debut.[6]

Ryan Binse, George Jac and Luke Pensabene produced the film[7][8][9] and Sergio Corona composed the score with Olmos.[10] Musical artists that contributed to the soundtrack include Freedom Fries, Mother Mary Mood, Somerset Barnard and Spero.[10]

Release

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South of 8 premiered on September 26, 2016 at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival[11][1] and later screened at San Diego Film Week[10] before being distributed by MultiVisionnaire Pictures.[12] It was released on video on demand on July 30, 2019.[13]

Left to right: Richards, Butler, Pensabene, and Jac in 2017

Reception

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Critical response

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Emilie Black of Cinema Crazed said the film has potential citing "the story, directing, acting, and music are good" but also noted it had "framing, lighting, and focus issues".[10] Jodi Cilley said that "South of 8 is a fantastic example of what can be produced in San Diego."[1] Meeta Borah at Sportskeeda said it is an "action-packed dystopian movie like Badland Hunters."[14]

Accolades

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Festival Year Award Recipient Result Ref.
Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival 2016 Best Dramatic Screenplay Tony Olmos Won [15]
San Diego Film Awards 2016 Best Trailer Tony Olmos Won [16]
2017 Best Narrative Feature Film South of 8 Nominated [17]
San Diego Film Week 2017 Best Horror/SciFi/Thriller Feature South of 8 Won [18]

Crossover

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Olmos expanded this universe in his follow up film; the comedy horror Continuance premiered at Shockfest on December 10, 2021.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "San Diego "South of 8" filmmakers make a feature film with (almost) no budget | FM 94.9". KBZT. 2016-10-10. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  2. ^ Mackin-Solomon, Ashley (2024-01-14). "'Good type of cringey': La Jolla filmmaker to screen latest creation at Oceanside International Film Festival". La Jolla Light. Archived from the original on 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  3. ^ Elling, Regina (2023-11-16). "Filming of indie thriller 'Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea,' in Ramona was a family affair". Ramona Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  4. ^ Dawson, David S. (2016-11-09). Our Barrio Premiere Night - San Diego Filmmakers Highlight - IX 0104 (Video). Our Barrio premiere hosted by Ryan Casselman and Yvette Angulo. Museum of Photographic Arts. 36:05 minutes in. Retrieved 2024-08-01 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "Meet Tony Olmos". CanvasRebel Magazine. 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  6. ^ III, Lee B. Golden (2015-10-29). "Watch The New Trailer For Tony Olmos's Grim Crime Pic, SOUTH OF 8". Film Combat Syndicate. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  7. ^ "Ryan Binse - AFI". AFI Conservatory. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  8. ^ "Meet George Jac of Rising Tides Creative in Downtown". SDVoyager. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  9. ^ "Meet Brian Patrick Butler of Charybdis Pictures in Van Nuys". Voyage LA. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  10. ^ a b c d Black, Emilie (2017-02-17). "South of 8 (2016) [San Diego Film Week 2017]". Cinema Crazed. Archived from the original on 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  11. ^ "2016 DTLA Film Festival Announces Feature Films and Special Series". DTLA Film Festival. 12 September 2016.
  12. ^ "South of 8". The Film Catalogue. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  13. ^ "South of 8". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  14. ^ Borah, Meeta (2024-01-22). "6 action-packed dystopian movies like Badland Hunters". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  15. ^ "DTLA Film Festival Announces 2016 Awards". Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival. DTLA Film Festival. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10.
  16. ^ 2016 San Diego Film Awards- Official Winners! at the Wayback Machine (archived April 7, 2016)
  17. ^ 2017 San Diego Film Awards Nominations at the Wayback Machine (archived November 14, 2018)
  18. ^ SD Film Week Award Winners- Juried Awards at the Wayback Machine (archived August 16, 2018)
  19. ^ Halen, Adrian (13 December 2021). "Tony Olmos Slasher 'Continuance' World Premieres at Shockfest on Dec 10th". Horror News Net.
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