Durango Seems Like a Great Place to Die
Denver, Colorado | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
After a heartbreaking divorce, Ezra begrudgingly joins his bohemian mother on a road trip across Colorado to help her die.
Durango Seems Like a Great Place to Die
Denver, Colorado | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns |
32 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$5,085
Goal: $25,000 for distribution
After a heartbreaking divorce, Ezra begrudgingly joins his bohemian mother on a road trip across Colorado to help her die.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
.png)
EZRA is 34, mid-divorce, on forced sabbatical, and moving back in with his mother. He is, by most measures, not doing great.
SONIA is 67, bohemian, and funny in a way that makes you forgive her for everything she puts you through. She jumped trains, tripped in the desert, and lived a life worth living but more recently, she lost her husband and is still figuring out the future without him.
And now, mid-game of pickleball, she informs her son that she has decided to end it.
She wants to drive to Durango, Colorado, follow "The Six Steps to a Dignified Death," and throw one hell of a celebration before she goes.
So Ezra has two choices: let her go alone, or get in the car.
WHAT FOLLOWS
A road trip across the most beautiful state in the country and a mother and son who have never truly known each other finally having to show up for one another.
At its core - Durango is a mother/son story centered around Medical Aid in Dying and explores the relationships that really impact and shape our adult lives.
The tone is much more comedic than the plot would infer as we examine the absurdity of life and death through the tumultuous relationship of Ezra and Sonia
.png)
WHY WE MADE IT
We made Durango because we recognize ourselves in these characters, for better or worse.
Ezra's anger at the world, the certainty that everything is broken and everyone else is the problem, is something we both (unfortunately) know from the inside. And we connected deeply with this idea of only knowing your mother for the period in which you knew her. Only as your mother. Not as a woman who had a whole life before you existed.
Durango is about what happens when a son finally meets that person.
We also made it because this conversation about end-of-life choice, about what we owe each other, about who gets to decide when a story is finished is one of the most important conversations we can have, but society doesn't have it.
We think that's worth exploring with humor and honesty.
.png)
WE NEED YOU
The film is funded. We're shooting this summer in Colorado with a killer team and a cast we're insanely proud of.
What we need your help with is all the ancillary costs to make it as good as it can be and everything that comes after filming.
Post-production. Festival submissions. Press materials. Marketing. Community outreach to the audiences who need to find this film. Basically in doing everything related to self-distribution so that Durango actually gets seen by people.
We're keeping this independent. That means we don't have a studio/distributor writing checks for the release but instead we're doing it ourselves, the way we believe films should be made- collaboratively, joyfully, and with total creative control.
Your support helps us finish strong and make sure this film actually gets seen.
.png)
JOIN US
We're going to Durango.
And if you've ever loved someone difficult (just ask our wives!), lost someone too soon, or sat across the table from your mother and realized you didn't really know her at all.
Then this film is for you and we invite you to come with us to Durango. After all, it does seem like a great place to die.
If you're able to back the campaign and/or share it with someone who needs to see this story, we're eternally grateful.
— AJ Campli & Matt Bruggeman
Crowded Table Pictures
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Marketing + PR
Costs $10,000
We need this item so people actually see the movie we've worked so hard to make!
Distribution
Costs $10,000
We plan to self-distribute this film! We want to keep things real indie, pushing our movie right to the audience. But that's expensive!
Film Festivals
Costs $5,000
We gotta get this thing in front of some darn critics! And that's expensive!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
THE TEAM
AJ Campli (Writer/Director) is a Denver-based filmmaker who has directed national commercial campaigns, served as a creative director at Super Bowl LIX, and written and directed several independent films. His commercial work is often comedic, but his narrative work lives in the space where comedy and drama collide — stories that use dark humor to navigate life's heaviest moments. Durango is exactly that kind of story. He will reference the Myth of Sisyphus if you let him. Please don't let him.
Matt Bruggeman (Writer/Director) is a Colorado-based actor, writer, and director whose work blends comedy with emotionally grounded, character-driven storytelling. He co-created Sooper Doods, an animated pilot that raised over $75,000 on Kickstarter, and wrote and directed Zapinos, an award-winning dark comedy. Durango is his first feature film.
Together we've made award-winning short films and run successful crowdfunding campaigns. Durango is our debut feature. We built Crowded Table Pictures to make films like this one and this is just the beginning.
Chloe Chamberlain (Executive Producer/Casting) is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognized entrepreneur, actor, and filmmaker based in Castle Rock, CO. After nearly a decade leading her own apparel company, she fell in love with film four years ago and hasn't looked back. She has since produced multiple short and feature films and brings serious strategic and creative firepower to everything she touches.
Bailey T. Miclette (Executive Producer/DP) is a Colorado-based cinematographer and co-founder of Boulder Media House, where he has led projects ranging from large-scale national commercial campaigns to intimate narrative works. His multidisciplinary approach — spanning commercial production, live broadcast, and experimental visual art — brings both technical precision and deep emotional intelligence to the visual language of Durango.
Jill Coats (Executive Producer/Locations) is a Golden-based filmmaker who has been making narrative films since she was old enough to rope her friends into them. Her foundation in storytelling shapes everything she makes, and on Durango she's leading the process of finding and securing the Colorado locations that bring this world to life.
Tyler Sapp (Executive Producer/AD) is an Englewood-based independent film and commercial producer with a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College and a seat on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Film and Video Association. He has produced dozens of high-concept comedic campaigns through Video Brothers and brings deep experience in narrative development, production leadership, and post-production strategy. He and AJ have been talking about making this film for years. It's finally happening.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
EZRA is 34, mid-divorce, on forced sabbatical, and moving back in with his mother. He is, by most measures, not doing great.
SONIA is 67, bohemian, and funny in a way that makes you forgive her for everything she puts you through. She jumped trains, tripped in the desert, and lived a life worth living but more recently, she lost her husband and is still figuring out the future without him.
And now, mid-game of pickleball, she informs her son that she has decided to end it.
She wants to drive to Durango, Colorado, follow "The Six Steps to a Dignified Death," and throw one hell of a celebration before she goes.
So Ezra has two choices: let her go alone, or get in the car.
WHAT FOLLOWS
A road trip across the most beautiful state in the country and a mother and son who have never truly known each other finally having to show up for one another.
At its core - Durango is a mother/son story centered around Medical Aid in Dying and explores the relationships that really impact and shape our adult lives.
The tone is much more comedic than the plot would infer as we examine the absurdity of life and death through the tumultuous relationship of Ezra and Sonia
WHY WE MADE IT
We made Durango because we recognize ourselves in these characters, for better or worse.
Ezra's anger at the world, the certainty that everything is broken and everyone else is the problem, is something we both (unfortunately) know from the inside. And we connected deeply with this idea of only knowing your mother for the period in which you knew her. Only as your mother. Not as a woman who had a whole life before you existed.
Durango is about what happens when a son finally meets that person.
We also made it because this conversation about end-of-life choice, about what we owe each other, about who gets to decide when a story is finished is one of the most important conversations we can have, but society doesn't have it.
We think that's worth exploring with humor and honesty.
WE NEED YOU
The film is funded. We're shooting this summer in Colorado with a killer team and a cast we're insanely proud of.
What we need your help with is all the ancillary costs to make it as good as it can be and everything that comes after filming.
Post-production. Festival submissions. Press materials. Marketing. Community outreach to the audiences who need to find this film. Basically in doing everything related to self-distribution so that Durango actually gets seen by people.
We're keeping this independent. That means we don't have a studio/distributor writing checks for the release but instead we're doing it ourselves, the way we believe films should be made- collaboratively, joyfully, and with total creative control.
Your support helps us finish strong and make sure this film actually gets seen.
JOIN US
We're going to Durango.
And if you've ever loved someone difficult (just ask our wives!), lost someone too soon, or sat across the table from your mother and realized you didn't really know her at all.
Then this film is for you and we invite you to come with us to Durango. After all, it does seem like a great place to die.
If you're able to back the campaign and/or share it with someone who needs to see this story, we're eternally grateful.
— AJ Campli & Matt Bruggeman
Crowded Table Pictures
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Marketing + PR
Costs $10,000
We need this item so people actually see the movie we've worked so hard to make!
Distribution
Costs $10,000
We plan to self-distribute this film! We want to keep things real indie, pushing our movie right to the audience. But that's expensive!
Film Festivals
Costs $5,000
We gotta get this thing in front of some darn critics! And that's expensive!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
THE TEAM
AJ Campli (Writer/Director) is a Denver-based filmmaker who has directed national commercial campaigns, served as a creative director at Super Bowl LIX, and written and directed several independent films. His commercial work is often comedic, but his narrative work lives in the space where comedy and drama collide — stories that use dark humor to navigate life's heaviest moments. Durango is exactly that kind of story. He will reference the Myth of Sisyphus if you let him. Please don't let him.
Matt Bruggeman (Writer/Director) is a Colorado-based actor, writer, and director whose work blends comedy with emotionally grounded, character-driven storytelling. He co-created Sooper Doods, an animated pilot that raised over $75,000 on Kickstarter, and wrote and directed Zapinos, an award-winning dark comedy. Durango is his first feature film.
Together we've made award-winning short films and run successful crowdfunding campaigns. Durango is our debut feature. We built Crowded Table Pictures to make films like this one and this is just the beginning.
Chloe Chamberlain (Executive Producer/Casting) is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognized entrepreneur, actor, and filmmaker based in Castle Rock, CO. After nearly a decade leading her own apparel company, she fell in love with film four years ago and hasn't looked back. She has since produced multiple short and feature films and brings serious strategic and creative firepower to everything she touches.
Bailey T. Miclette (Executive Producer/DP) is a Colorado-based cinematographer and co-founder of Boulder Media House, where he has led projects ranging from large-scale national commercial campaigns to intimate narrative works. His multidisciplinary approach — spanning commercial production, live broadcast, and experimental visual art — brings both technical precision and deep emotional intelligence to the visual language of Durango.
Jill Coats (Executive Producer/Locations) is a Golden-based filmmaker who has been making narrative films since she was old enough to rope her friends into them. Her foundation in storytelling shapes everything she makes, and on Durango she's leading the process of finding and securing the Colorado locations that bring this world to life.
Tyler Sapp (Executive Producer/AD) is an Englewood-based independent film and commercial producer with a BFA in Acting from Ithaca College and a seat on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Film and Video Association. He has produced dozens of high-concept comedic campaigns through Video Brothers and brings deep experience in narrative development, production leadership, and post-production strategy. He and AJ have been talking about making this film for years. It's finally happening.