Into the Valley
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
This is a woman-on-the-run road film set in 1967 Northern California. B. (formerly Beverly) is a female anti-hero visibly struggling with anxiety and the gender-specific pressures to appear beautiful, composed, and to become a wife and mother; societal expectations still prevalent today.
Into the Valley
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $41,500 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
196 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
This is a woman-on-the-run road film set in 1967 Northern California. B. (formerly Beverly) is a female anti-hero visibly struggling with anxiety and the gender-specific pressures to appear beautiful, composed, and to become a wife and mother; societal expectations still prevalent today.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Into the Valley is a subtle and complicated exploration of what it means to be a woman and, more specifically, what it means to be a woman without a man."
- Keziah Weir, ELLE Magazine
We are bringing this film to life with a women-led team beginning with the book's author Ruth Galm, the writer/producer Emily Somers, the director Emily Sandifer, and co-producers Courtney Blythe-Turk and Andrea Monier.
Based on Ruth Galm's novel by the same name, Into the Valley is a 1960s woman-on-the-run road film drawing influence from Thelma and Louise and River of Grass, visualized through a Terrence Malick lens that lingers on the expansive landscape and subtle inner emotions of our characters.
Thirty-year-old Beverly, who now goes by B., doesn't fit in, and she doesn't understand why. Her dissatisfaction and longing for more meaning makes her physically ill with anxiety and propels her to search for a way out of her life as a secretary in San Francisco.
B. develops a relationship with a janitor in the law office where she works, Daughtry, who introduces her to counterfeit checks.
Once in possession of her own false identity and checkbook, B. runs out on Daughtry, buys a Mustang, and escapes to the valley, cashing the checks along the way; but she encounters far less than a warm welcome from those suspicious of an unmarried woman traveling alone. She is perhaps even more of an outsider in the country than she was in the city.
The banks have a fleeting effect of calming B.'s nerves, but as time passes she gets sloppy and starts to unravel.
Our short film begins when B. has run out of checks and must reach out to Daughtry for help. Feeling slighted, Daughtry refuses to replenish B's check supply.
Stuck and alone in the valley, B. picks up a hitchhiking teenage hippie. The Girl's arrival only creates more tension, as the two women are at odds with eachother, and the girl threatens to blow B's cover. B. has changed and refuses to go back to her old way of life.
It remains a radical act today for a woman to go on a road trip by herself; for a woman to be intentionally single. This film should leave audiences questioning how much has actually changed in 55 years, and how much still needs to—specifically the parallels between expectations placed on women in the 1960s and today.
We hope audiences will relate to a female antihero struggling with her own existence—and her anxiety in rejecting rules she never agreed to. We hope that a character rejecting the pressures—still deluging women today—to appear beautifully put together and composed will be a welcome departure from other content in the present market.
The film will also reveal the glaring and persistent inequities of class and race unchanged in our society—what B. can blithely get away with that Daughtry never could.
We hope this film will appeal to anyone resisting outdated and oppressive traditions and ways of thinking, while exploring themes of socioeconomic disparity/societal constructs and survival.
Our goal is to promote more conversation and question why we still follow and place so much value on outdated traditions and ways of thinking.
Emily Somers, Writer's Statement
A female anti-hero with a psychological struggle and a desire to find her place in society; an outsider with nothing, and yet everything, to lose, a criminal robbing banks on the run. This is our protagonist B., and creating more roles like B. for audiences and actresses is one of the main reasons I optioned the rights to Into the Valley and adapted it into a script.
- When I read Ruth Galm's book, I was struck by how familiar it was. I was born in San Francisco, and my mom is from Sacramento. I know the places B. visits, the pit stops, the people in the valley and the children of the debutantes in the city. Some things have not changed much since 1967 when the story takes place.
- Like B., I grew up in a town where, in the midst of great upper middle class privilege, the expectations were still narrow: go to college, pursue a “sensible" career like law, medicine, or finance, get married and have kids. Despite our differences, I understood B. I was surprised by the parallels between the lives and values of women in the 1960s and the deeply ingrained gender roles and importance we still place on marriage, children, and appearance in modern society.
- B. is able to get away with her criminal acts largely because of her superficial attributes, which is in stark contrast to how Daughtry, a Mexican-Irish janitor, is perceived by society.
- B. is struggling with many taboo conditions, including her role as an intentionally single woman, her own anxiety, and her desire for freedom beyond her given options. We need more stories like Ruth's that make us question these deeply ingrained societal stigmas— that force us to ask if B.'s "carsickness" is the sign of an unwell individual or the malignancy of a larger society.
Emily Sandifer, Director
Learn more about our Director Emily, and see her work on her website.
Jon Pears, Cinematographer
Check out Jon's previous work on his website.
Where will the budget be going?
We think Into the Valley is a fresh timely take on the American road trip heist movie. If this story is something you feel you’d want to see play out on screen, this is how your support will help make that happen and what the money will be going to:
- Cast & Crew Pay: More than half our budget will be going to pay the cast and crew for the three day shoot. This includes our experienced camera team, actors, sound department, art department, wardrobe, locations manager, etc.
- Production Expenses: Over one third of the budget will go toward location rental, props, vehicles, costumes, lodging, meals, etc. Because this is a period piece, these funds will be essential to help authentically re-create the 1960s.
- Insurance & Covid Protocol: 2% will be covering our production insurance cost and roughly 1% will be used to cover covid-related expenses like PPE, testing, and an on-set covid coordinator. In order to return back to set as safely as possible, we will have a fully vaccinated cast and crew and require daily testing.
- Stretch Goal: If we hit our stretch goal of $40,000, just under ten percent of the budget will help cover the additional costs added to the budget during pre-production.
- Stretch STRETCH Goal: Post Production - $45,000 will help cover the cost of an editor, colorist, composer, and sound mixer.
If you've made it this far and think this project sounds like the type of film you'd like to be involved with, we'd love your support!
PLEDGE:
Click the blue "Make a Pledge" button to kindly gift us a monetary contribution—a dollar helps! We've got some cool incentives, so please check 'em out.
SHARE:
Help us spread the word about our film by sharing our Campaign Page, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page with your online communities. We are @IntotheValleyFilm (IG) and @ITVFilm (Twitter). Have a friend who's obsessed with the 60s or involved with a women's rights group? Pass our info along!
FOLLOW:
Follow our socials and like our Campaign Page. Did you know we unlock some extra cool features if we get 250 likes on Seed&Spark?
↓ Here's a quick and easy message to copy and paste to Instagram: ↓
Help support indie female filmmakers @emilysomers + @emilysandiferphoto by pledging or following their film @intothevalleyfilm - a fresh timely take on the American road trip heist movie. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/3GbjStW
STRETCH GOALS
- $45,000 will enable us to cover our post production costs including a colorist, composer, and sound mixer.
- If we succeed in raising over $45,000, we will also be able to cover some pre-production costs, festival submissions, and legal fees paid to uphold the option agreement with the author and Soho Press.
We hope you’ll join us on our road trip into the valley, whether it’s a pledge, following our socials or sharing our posts, every bit helps, and for that we are grateful.
Thanks for being part of our film community and for supporting female filmmakers and authors.
We will be filming on location where the book takes places in the Saramento Delta and Valley.
The majority of the short will be on country roads in B.'s blue Mustang, as well as the places she stops along the way, including a roadside bar, laundromat, small town, and bank.
Tone
We visualize this script as a classic road film, a character-driven drama with undertones of suspense. The primary strength of the film is the characters and how they deal with their personal struggles and the hand they've been dealt. The tone will reflect the period; the language is more stylized and poetic.
The heavily visual style is influenced by Terrence Malick's ethereal landscapes, Kelly Reichardt's emphasis on character and relationships, and Chloe Zhao's sense of Americana.
We envision the film living in tight character shots and austere landscapes. We hope to contrast this art-house feel with an edgier perspective and unusual eye that keeps the story moving and embraces each character's flaws and charms.
B. - The Female Anti-Hero
Beverly, who goes by B., has a problem: she doesn’t fit in with society in 1967. She’s 30, beautiful by traditional standards, and has a good job, but she’s unmarried and childless.
She suffers from anxiety, what she refers to as “the carsickness,” and she can’t relate to other cosmopolitan women her age. She doesn’t understand the hippies and their movement against all the social norms she’s been raised to abide by.
She must escape and find a new way of life. The counterfeit checks are her ticket out of the city and into the valley, but she doesn't have a plan once she’s bought her way out.
DAUGHTRY
B.’s plan to escape the city is made possible by Daughtry (mid 30s), the janitor in the law office where she works.
As the son of an Irish man and a Mexican woman, Daughtry also struggles to find his place in San Francisco society in 1967. He’s stuck in a blue collar job, but he dreams of moving to Mexico with B. and spending his days fishing.
B. and Daughtry are both limited by society's perception of them. Daughtry admires B. from afar, leaving her books as gifts, until he works up the courage to ask her on date.
On a weekend in Carmel, he confesses he paid for the trip by cashing a counterfeit check. This piques B.’s interest and leads her on her journey into the valley.
Daughtry wants to care for B., but only knows how to treat her like a coveted possession. He smothers B., and eventually gets in her way.
THE GIRL
The Girl (17) is the antithesis of B. She represents everything B. is afraid of within herself; she’s unkempt, emotionally volatile, sexual, and feral, but above all, she is lost.
While driving through the valley, B. first sees The Girl throwing a fit in Sambo’s diner. She later picks her up hitchhiking on the side of the road. The girl is a walking contradiction. She's obsessed with rebelling, but gossips nonstop about her boyfriend who has gone off to San Francisco without her.
The Girl taps into B.’s greatest fears but also awakens an inner part of her she has previously kept hidden. Their relationship is doomed from the beginning and is eventually pushed to the breaking point.
THE CAST
Throughout our campaign, we will be introducing you to the wonderful local Northern California actors who make up our cast & announcing the actor who will be playing DAUGHTRY.
Again, here are some ways to support the Into the Valley team!
PLEDGE:
Click the blue "Make a Pledge" button to kindly gift us a monetary contribution—a dollar helps! We've got some cool incentives, so please check 'em out.
SHARE:
Spread the word about our film by sharing our Campaign Page, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page with your online communities. We are @IntotheValleyFilm (IG) and @ITVFilm (Twitter). Have a friend who's obsessed with the 60s or involved with a women's rights group? Pass our info along!
FOLLOW:
Follow our socials and like our Campaign Page. Did you know we unlock some extra cool features if we get 250 likes on Seed&Spark?
↓ Here's a quick and easy message to copy and paste to Instagram: ↓
Help support indie female filmmakers @emilysomers + @emilysandiferphoto by pledging or following their film @intothevalleyfilm - a fresh timely take on the American road trip heist movie. Join them on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/intothevalley
Stay tuned, and thank you for supporting our film!
Emily + Emily
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
1950s-1960s Phone Booth
Costs $400
Needed for the scene when B. calls Daughtry at the truck stop.
Tow Dolly
Costs $600
The Tow Dolly supports the Mustang to help alleviate road noise during dialogue.
1960s Mustang
Costs $1,400
The Mustang is the star of our film, and we'd love to feature your 1964-1967 Mustang!
1960s Cars
Costs $500
In order to re-create the 1960s, we will be needing 1960s cars for atmosphere and background.
Prop Truck
Costs $800
We need this item to help transport the 1960s props for the film, including the phone booth.
Additional Lights
Costs $1,500
We will be needing two additional lights for some of our set ups.
Cast + Crew
Costs $15,000
This will cover paying our talent, camera team + equipment, and crew for the 3-day shoot.
Styling Team
Costs $5,000
This money will go toward wardrobe, production design, and hair & makeup
Locations
Costs $3,500
This covers our location manager and the various filming locations for our shoot.
Lodging + Food
Costs $5,500
This money covers hotel accommodations, gas, and meals for the 3-day shoot and prep days.
Share this update!
About This Team
Emily Somers, Writer/Producer
Emily is a Los Angeles based writer/actress who enjoys character-driven stories that wrestle with the human condition, spirituality, and gender roles. She optioned the rights to Ruth Galm's novel Into the Valley and has adapted it into a screenplay. Her Short Proof of Concept script based on the same material was a quarter-finalist in WeScreenplay's Short's Contest 2021 and made The Short List, Barnstorm Fest 2021.
Emily has worked as a story analyst for companies including Paradigm and Alcon Entertainment, and as the assistant to Breakdown & U-571 Writer/Director Jonathan Mostow. Her first short Bingo! was selected as a finalist in the Dances With Films 2-Minute 2-Step competition.
Emily grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended A.C.T.'s Summer Training Congress. She later studied at British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer in Oxford program at Oxford University to supplement her training at the University of California, Davis, where she graduated with honors in Dramatic Art and highest honors in American Studies.
This year she will appear as a Recurring Guest Star on a popular HBO series. Additional acting credits include starring opposite Jean Smart as Beth in Awaken the Shadowman, Dawn in Gabriele Muccino's film Playing for Keeps, and Stat in the popular indie thriller Reboot. Emily was also nominated for Best Actress in a Short Film at the Madrid International Film Festival for her role in Soulmate.
Emily is managed by Bohemia Group, represented theatrically by Bresler Kelly & Associates.
Ruth Galm, author of Into the Valley (novel)
Ruth Galm’s debut novel Into the Valley, published by Soho Press in 2015, earned starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and was hailed by ELLE magazine as “[m]esmerizing . . . a subtle and complicated exploration of what it means to be a woman and, more specifically, what it means to be a woman without a man.” Her writing has appeared in the Kenyon Review Online, Indiana Review, and Joyland. Her story “New Mexico, 1957” received special mention in Best American Short Stories 2016. Galm holds an MFA from Columbia University and has been a resident of the Ucross and Brush Creek foundations in Wyoming. She was born and raised in San José, California, spent time in Boston, New York City, and San Francisco, and now lives in Oakland. She is at work on a second novel.
Emily Sandifer, Director
Emily Sandifer is a filmmaker, photographer, and actor. She owns Loft 1923, a 4100 SQ FT production space in Downtown Los Angeles.
Emily’s love for imagery began with 35mm film. Her childhood on a 1,000 acre ranch in Idaho, and an ex-Navy father and novelist mother who loved road trips across America, instilled a deep connection to the land.
After working on several projects with LA Film School, Emily worked as a production assistant on “LA Noire,” a Rockstar Games produced video game.
Her directorial debut “Finding Sky” won Best Director and Best Actress at the American International Film Festival. The feature also won the Sir Edmund Hillary Award at the Mountain Film Festival.
Emily continues to write, produce, and direct films with various festival premieres, including Edinburgh Fringe. “Salton” won Best Short Film at the Borrego Film Festival.
Emily also directs editorial and commercial content.
She is a board member of ASMP-LA, and member of APA-LA, Women in Film, and SAG-AFTRA. She has a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Boise State University.
Acting credits include Judd Apatow’s “Love" and sharing the screen with Laura Dern in “The Tale.” She trains at Warner Loughlin and is represented by AEFH, Artistic Talent, and Bohemia Group.
She lives in a cabin outside of LA with her partner TJ Dalrymple. They are in post-production on a film they produced in Scotland.
Jon Pears, Cinematographer
Coming from the UK means that talking about myself doesn't come all that naturally....
...but i will try my best to share a little background.
I started shooting actions sports just as YouTube was becoming a thing, quickly graduating to more 'pro sports' for TV, and also a lot of documentary. All of which saw me travel all over the world with a camera - from Mt. Everest to Montego Bay. It led me to many irreplaceable experiences, with amazing irreplaceable people, and even got to jump out of planes over a thousand times along the way.
After selling a film I had made in 2013 to a LA based studio, I moved to LA and focused my attention towards commercial and narrative work. In addition to client work, I shoot a lot of my own projects, constantly intrigued by the exploration of images and storytelling.
Just like my weekly searches for new music, I am constantly searching for those who I can connect and create with. Living and working in the US with UK eyes and ears, has been quite the adventure, and even with everything i have done, the cliche line of 'I'm Just Getting Started' is appropriate. Thanks for checking out my work!
Kat Yeh, Costume Design
Kat Yeh has decades of experience in the world of fashion. As a global merchandiser at Levi’s she styled celebrities and musicians, ranging from Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Pharrell, Josh Homme, The Kills, Perry Farrell and Erykah Badu. Kat herself has a world class closet of her own yet still sees room for improvement. Always.
StyleKouncil was born from a culmination of everything that she loved. As a personal and professional stylist, Kat has worked with everyone from high powered execs to musicians to busy parents who just need a little style inspiration. Kat prides herself with a unique ability to work with all budgets, styles and individual needs. She is sincerely driven to help people find their true style while guiding them through an often chaotic shopping world.
Beyond personal styling, Kat has ventured into creating looks for film, print, music video, virtual reality gaming and store sets. Her extensive portfolio of wardrobe styling across a wide range of medium and genres is limitless. You can check out her work on her website.
Stan Bautista, Location Manager
A northern California native and thirty-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Stan joined the ranks of professional filmmakers in 2015. Thanks to scores of commercial, industrial & film credits along with a 2018 COLA Location Manager of the Year nomination, Stan is one of Sacramento’s most experienced and called on location specialists.
Feleicia Martin, Art Director
Feleicia began her career in Film after getting her degree in Costume Design. With over a decade of experience in Film and Theater, combined with an avid interest in the human condition, Feleicia excels in character and story development while having a keen eye for environmental design. Her line of work ranges from music videos, Indi feature films, commercials, documentaries, corporate projects, and short films. Working with both local and major brands Feleicia has worked with Smosh, NBC, ITV, Toyota, Shriners Hospital, Goo Goo Dolls, SNL’s Melissa Villasenor and more. She has a love for stories that encompass the human experience.
Hugo Martínez, Production Designer
Born and raised in Stockton California, as well as Jalisco México, Hugo Francisco Martínez grew up as the energetic kid with an infectious personality. A graduate of The L.A. Film School with a focus in production design and art direction, as well as the California Institute of the Arts’ Technical Theatre Design and Actors Studio Program, Hugo has spent the last 10 years working in theatre and film productions including Los Angeles Broadway, Disney, Netflix, Hulu, Broadway Sacramento, A&E, Discovery Familia, HGTV, Google, Germany’s Next Top Model and more! He has dedicated his life as a designer, storyteller, and filmmaker to find ways to bring a better understanding of Chicano culture to the stage, screen, as well as behind the camera.
Production Sound Mixer, Jon Gerdemann
MY MAIN GOAL IS TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT PRODUCTION SOUND, DO THE PROJECT JUSTICE, AND HELP TO ENABLE THE DIRECTORS VISION.
As a Production Sound Mixer I have been working on set, recording sound for many years. Before I began working in Film and Television full time, I worked as an Audio Engineer in recording studios, and have experience in post production, recording, mixing and mastering music, as well as running live sound, and even restoration for old films and television shows. Chances are you own a DVD or Blue-Ray disc that I restored the audio for!
I own all of my own Location Sound equipment, and am also an FCC licensed wireless microphone operator.
Assistant Director, Sydney Stephenson
Sydney Stephenson has been working in the film industry for 20 years, both in front of and behind the camera. As a teenager, she started her film career on the set of Veronica Mars in San Diego CA. Her first job, as a stand in and photo double for Kristen Bell, was enough to get her a SAG card and lifetime career path.
After moving to LA to pursue acting, she more and more often found herself behind the camera, collaborating with the crew about the projects she worked on. This led Sydney to the business, production and direction aspects of the industry and after many years and projects in California, she left Los Angeles for Oklahoma City to be closer to family and continue her work in Oklahoma’s booming film industry. She has worked as creative producer and 1st Assistant Director on countless projects and continues to create and pursue new projects.
Sydney has also worked extensively as a photographer which is how she came to know Emily Sandifer. A huge fan of Emily's work, Sydney arranged to assist and shadow Emily in order to enhance her own photography skills. The two became fast friends and Sydney and Emily have continued to work together.
Production Company
Peridot Pictures Mission Statement:
Peridot Pictures is focused on creating true-to-life human stories that uplift, transform, and inspire audiences. We aim to create content that promote both diversity and gender parity and celebrate the whole spectrum of humanity.
Management Team:
Courtney Blythe Turk— Courtney is originally from AL, where she studied radio/film/tv, with a theatre minor, at Auburn University. She then moved to Los Angeles where she worked as an executive assistant under Fabrica de Cine (The Irishman, Silence) from 2014 to 2015, and in 2016 landed the role as an Executive of the film finance and development production company entitled Foxtail Entertainment.
Courtney is an Executive Producer of the thriller Assassination Nation, starring Bella Thorne, Suki Waterhouse, Bill Skarsgard, and Joel McHale, which was purchased by NEON after a midnight premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2018. Past films produced include The Ticket (Tribeca 2016) starring Malin Akerman, Dan Stevens and Oliver Platt, Netflix and Marti Noxon's To the Bone (Sundance 2017) starring Keanu Reeves and Lily Collins, director Kate Brooks' award winning documentary The Last Animals (Tribeca 2017) set in Africa following the conservationists battling poachers and trafficking syndicates to protect elephants and rhinos from extinction, and surreal drama On Our Way starring James Badge Dale and Jordana Brewster.
She is currently developing a true story drama with Hidden Empire and Deon Taylor (Meet the Blacks), a hallucinatory thriller with Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu) and an inspired by true events drama with James Strong (Broadchurch) directing.
Andrea Monier— Andrea is originally from Tucson, AZ where she graduated Valedictorian of her high school class and then went on to receive Cum Laude honors with a degree in Engineering and a minor in Theater Arts from the University of Arizona. Upon her arrival to Los Angeles, she began to act in independent films, including several short films and features. During this time, she also developed a passion for the creative process and began to incorporate producing into her repertoire. Andrea began working alongside line producers on features in order to learn all the production components and the critical elements behind the lens. Once she garnered enough experience, Andrea set out to produce her own features. One of Andrea’s first films she produced was Jesse Baget's White Knight (now known as Cellmates), which was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and Warner Brothers for distribution; it also won 9 best picture awards at various prestigious festivals. She also produced the award-winning Eddie Alcazar directed documentary, TAPIA, which was executive produced by Fifty Cent and premiered on HBO. Most recently Andrea acted as the Vice President of Wownow Entertainment (formerly Ruthless Pictures), a production and distribution company that specializes in independent, genre and animated movies where she oversaw production of over 400 products. She is currently producing several independent features that are in various stages of development.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
"Into the Valley is a subtle and complicated exploration of what it means to be a woman and, more specifically, what it means to be a woman without a man."
- Keziah Weir, ELLE Magazine
We are bringing this film to life with a women-led team beginning with the book's author Ruth Galm, the writer/producer Emily Somers, the director Emily Sandifer, and co-producers Courtney Blythe-Turk and Andrea Monier.
Based on Ruth Galm's novel by the same name, Into the Valley is a 1960s woman-on-the-run road film drawing influence from Thelma and Louise and River of Grass, visualized through a Terrence Malick lens that lingers on the expansive landscape and subtle inner emotions of our characters.
Thirty-year-old Beverly, who now goes by B., doesn't fit in, and she doesn't understand why. Her dissatisfaction and longing for more meaning makes her physically ill with anxiety and propels her to search for a way out of her life as a secretary in San Francisco.
B. develops a relationship with a janitor in the law office where she works, Daughtry, who introduces her to counterfeit checks.
Once in possession of her own false identity and checkbook, B. runs out on Daughtry, buys a Mustang, and escapes to the valley, cashing the checks along the way; but she encounters far less than a warm welcome from those suspicious of an unmarried woman traveling alone. She is perhaps even more of an outsider in the country than she was in the city.
The banks have a fleeting effect of calming B.'s nerves, but as time passes she gets sloppy and starts to unravel.
Our short film begins when B. has run out of checks and must reach out to Daughtry for help. Feeling slighted, Daughtry refuses to replenish B's check supply.
Stuck and alone in the valley, B. picks up a hitchhiking teenage hippie. The Girl's arrival only creates more tension, as the two women are at odds with eachother, and the girl threatens to blow B's cover. B. has changed and refuses to go back to her old way of life.
It remains a radical act today for a woman to go on a road trip by herself; for a woman to be intentionally single. This film should leave audiences questioning how much has actually changed in 55 years, and how much still needs to—specifically the parallels between expectations placed on women in the 1960s and today.
We hope audiences will relate to a female antihero struggling with her own existence—and her anxiety in rejecting rules she never agreed to. We hope that a character rejecting the pressures—still deluging women today—to appear beautifully put together and composed will be a welcome departure from other content in the present market.
The film will also reveal the glaring and persistent inequities of class and race unchanged in our society—what B. can blithely get away with that Daughtry never could.
We hope this film will appeal to anyone resisting outdated and oppressive traditions and ways of thinking, while exploring themes of socioeconomic disparity/societal constructs and survival.
Our goal is to promote more conversation and question why we still follow and place so much value on outdated traditions and ways of thinking.
Emily Somers, Writer's Statement
A female anti-hero with a psychological struggle and a desire to find her place in society; an outsider with nothing, and yet everything, to lose, a criminal robbing banks on the run. This is our protagonist B., and creating more roles like B. for audiences and actresses is one of the main reasons I optioned the rights to Into the Valley and adapted it into a script.
- When I read Ruth Galm's book, I was struck by how familiar it was. I was born in San Francisco, and my mom is from Sacramento. I know the places B. visits, the pit stops, the people in the valley and the children of the debutantes in the city. Some things have not changed much since 1967 when the story takes place.
- Like B., I grew up in a town where, in the midst of great upper middle class privilege, the expectations were still narrow: go to college, pursue a “sensible" career like law, medicine, or finance, get married and have kids. Despite our differences, I understood B. I was surprised by the parallels between the lives and values of women in the 1960s and the deeply ingrained gender roles and importance we still place on marriage, children, and appearance in modern society.
- B. is able to get away with her criminal acts largely because of her superficial attributes, which is in stark contrast to how Daughtry, a Mexican-Irish janitor, is perceived by society.
- B. is struggling with many taboo conditions, including her role as an intentionally single woman, her own anxiety, and her desire for freedom beyond her given options. We need more stories like Ruth's that make us question these deeply ingrained societal stigmas— that force us to ask if B.'s "carsickness" is the sign of an unwell individual or the malignancy of a larger society.
Emily Sandifer, Director
Learn more about our Director Emily, and see her work on her website.
Jon Pears, Cinematographer
Check out Jon's previous work on his website.
Where will the budget be going?
We think Into the Valley is a fresh timely take on the American road trip heist movie. If this story is something you feel you’d want to see play out on screen, this is how your support will help make that happen and what the money will be going to:
- Cast & Crew Pay: More than half our budget will be going to pay the cast and crew for the three day shoot. This includes our experienced camera team, actors, sound department, art department, wardrobe, locations manager, etc.
- Production Expenses: Over one third of the budget will go toward location rental, props, vehicles, costumes, lodging, meals, etc. Because this is a period piece, these funds will be essential to help authentically re-create the 1960s.
- Insurance & Covid Protocol: 2% will be covering our production insurance cost and roughly 1% will be used to cover covid-related expenses like PPE, testing, and an on-set covid coordinator. In order to return back to set as safely as possible, we will have a fully vaccinated cast and crew and require daily testing.
- Stretch Goal: If we hit our stretch goal of $40,000, just under ten percent of the budget will help cover the additional costs added to the budget during pre-production.
- Stretch STRETCH Goal: Post Production - $45,000 will help cover the cost of an editor, colorist, composer, and sound mixer.
If you've made it this far and think this project sounds like the type of film you'd like to be involved with, we'd love your support!
PLEDGE:
Click the blue "Make a Pledge" button to kindly gift us a monetary contribution—a dollar helps! We've got some cool incentives, so please check 'em out.
SHARE:
Help us spread the word about our film by sharing our Campaign Page, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page with your online communities. We are @IntotheValleyFilm (IG) and @ITVFilm (Twitter). Have a friend who's obsessed with the 60s or involved with a women's rights group? Pass our info along!
FOLLOW:
Follow our socials and like our Campaign Page. Did you know we unlock some extra cool features if we get 250 likes on Seed&Spark?
↓ Here's a quick and easy message to copy and paste to Instagram: ↓
Help support indie female filmmakers @emilysomers + @emilysandiferphoto by pledging or following their film @intothevalleyfilm - a fresh timely take on the American road trip heist movie. Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/3GbjStW
STRETCH GOALS
- $45,000 will enable us to cover our post production costs including a colorist, composer, and sound mixer.
- If we succeed in raising over $45,000, we will also be able to cover some pre-production costs, festival submissions, and legal fees paid to uphold the option agreement with the author and Soho Press.
We hope you’ll join us on our road trip into the valley, whether it’s a pledge, following our socials or sharing our posts, every bit helps, and for that we are grateful.
Thanks for being part of our film community and for supporting female filmmakers and authors.
We will be filming on location where the book takes places in the Saramento Delta and Valley.
The majority of the short will be on country roads in B.'s blue Mustang, as well as the places she stops along the way, including a roadside bar, laundromat, small town, and bank.
Tone
We visualize this script as a classic road film, a character-driven drama with undertones of suspense. The primary strength of the film is the characters and how they deal with their personal struggles and the hand they've been dealt. The tone will reflect the period; the language is more stylized and poetic.
The heavily visual style is influenced by Terrence Malick's ethereal landscapes, Kelly Reichardt's emphasis on character and relationships, and Chloe Zhao's sense of Americana.
We envision the film living in tight character shots and austere landscapes. We hope to contrast this art-house feel with an edgier perspective and unusual eye that keeps the story moving and embraces each character's flaws and charms.
B. - The Female Anti-Hero
Beverly, who goes by B., has a problem: she doesn’t fit in with society in 1967. She’s 30, beautiful by traditional standards, and has a good job, but she’s unmarried and childless.
She suffers from anxiety, what she refers to as “the carsickness,” and she can’t relate to other cosmopolitan women her age. She doesn’t understand the hippies and their movement against all the social norms she’s been raised to abide by.
She must escape and find a new way of life. The counterfeit checks are her ticket out of the city and into the valley, but she doesn't have a plan once she’s bought her way out.
DAUGHTRY
B.’s plan to escape the city is made possible by Daughtry (mid 30s), the janitor in the law office where she works.
As the son of an Irish man and a Mexican woman, Daughtry also struggles to find his place in San Francisco society in 1967. He’s stuck in a blue collar job, but he dreams of moving to Mexico with B. and spending his days fishing.
B. and Daughtry are both limited by society's perception of them. Daughtry admires B. from afar, leaving her books as gifts, until he works up the courage to ask her on date.
On a weekend in Carmel, he confesses he paid for the trip by cashing a counterfeit check. This piques B.’s interest and leads her on her journey into the valley.
Daughtry wants to care for B., but only knows how to treat her like a coveted possession. He smothers B., and eventually gets in her way.
THE GIRL
The Girl (17) is the antithesis of B. She represents everything B. is afraid of within herself; she’s unkempt, emotionally volatile, sexual, and feral, but above all, she is lost.
While driving through the valley, B. first sees The Girl throwing a fit in Sambo’s diner. She later picks her up hitchhiking on the side of the road. The girl is a walking contradiction. She's obsessed with rebelling, but gossips nonstop about her boyfriend who has gone off to San Francisco without her.
The Girl taps into B.’s greatest fears but also awakens an inner part of her she has previously kept hidden. Their relationship is doomed from the beginning and is eventually pushed to the breaking point.
THE CAST
Throughout our campaign, we will be introducing you to the wonderful local Northern California actors who make up our cast & announcing the actor who will be playing DAUGHTRY.
Again, here are some ways to support the Into the Valley team!
PLEDGE:
Click the blue "Make a Pledge" button to kindly gift us a monetary contribution—a dollar helps! We've got some cool incentives, so please check 'em out.
SHARE:
Spread the word about our film by sharing our Campaign Page, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page with your online communities. We are @IntotheValleyFilm (IG) and @ITVFilm (Twitter). Have a friend who's obsessed with the 60s or involved with a women's rights group? Pass our info along!
FOLLOW:
Follow our socials and like our Campaign Page. Did you know we unlock some extra cool features if we get 250 likes on Seed&Spark?
↓ Here's a quick and easy message to copy and paste to Instagram: ↓
Help support indie female filmmakers @emilysomers + @emilysandiferphoto by pledging or following their film @intothevalleyfilm - a fresh timely take on the American road trip heist movie. Join them on @seedandspark: seedandspark.com/fund/intothevalley
Stay tuned, and thank you for supporting our film!
Emily + Emily
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
1950s-1960s Phone Booth
Costs $400
Needed for the scene when B. calls Daughtry at the truck stop.
Tow Dolly
Costs $600
The Tow Dolly supports the Mustang to help alleviate road noise during dialogue.
1960s Mustang
Costs $1,400
The Mustang is the star of our film, and we'd love to feature your 1964-1967 Mustang!
1960s Cars
Costs $500
In order to re-create the 1960s, we will be needing 1960s cars for atmosphere and background.
Prop Truck
Costs $800
We need this item to help transport the 1960s props for the film, including the phone booth.
Additional Lights
Costs $1,500
We will be needing two additional lights for some of our set ups.
Cast + Crew
Costs $15,000
This will cover paying our talent, camera team + equipment, and crew for the 3-day shoot.
Styling Team
Costs $5,000
This money will go toward wardrobe, production design, and hair & makeup
Locations
Costs $3,500
This covers our location manager and the various filming locations for our shoot.
Lodging + Food
Costs $5,500
This money covers hotel accommodations, gas, and meals for the 3-day shoot and prep days.
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About This Team
Emily Somers, Writer/Producer
Emily is a Los Angeles based writer/actress who enjoys character-driven stories that wrestle with the human condition, spirituality, and gender roles. She optioned the rights to Ruth Galm's novel Into the Valley and has adapted it into a screenplay. Her Short Proof of Concept script based on the same material was a quarter-finalist in WeScreenplay's Short's Contest 2021 and made The Short List, Barnstorm Fest 2021.
Emily has worked as a story analyst for companies including Paradigm and Alcon Entertainment, and as the assistant to Breakdown & U-571 Writer/Director Jonathan Mostow. Her first short Bingo! was selected as a finalist in the Dances With Films 2-Minute 2-Step competition.
Emily grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended A.C.T.'s Summer Training Congress. She later studied at British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer in Oxford program at Oxford University to supplement her training at the University of California, Davis, where she graduated with honors in Dramatic Art and highest honors in American Studies.
This year she will appear as a Recurring Guest Star on a popular HBO series. Additional acting credits include starring opposite Jean Smart as Beth in Awaken the Shadowman, Dawn in Gabriele Muccino's film Playing for Keeps, and Stat in the popular indie thriller Reboot. Emily was also nominated for Best Actress in a Short Film at the Madrid International Film Festival for her role in Soulmate.
Emily is managed by Bohemia Group, represented theatrically by Bresler Kelly & Associates.
Ruth Galm, author of Into the Valley (novel)
Ruth Galm’s debut novel Into the Valley, published by Soho Press in 2015, earned starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and was hailed by ELLE magazine as “[m]esmerizing . . . a subtle and complicated exploration of what it means to be a woman and, more specifically, what it means to be a woman without a man.” Her writing has appeared in the Kenyon Review Online, Indiana Review, and Joyland. Her story “New Mexico, 1957” received special mention in Best American Short Stories 2016. Galm holds an MFA from Columbia University and has been a resident of the Ucross and Brush Creek foundations in Wyoming. She was born and raised in San José, California, spent time in Boston, New York City, and San Francisco, and now lives in Oakland. She is at work on a second novel.
Emily Sandifer, Director
Emily Sandifer is a filmmaker, photographer, and actor. She owns Loft 1923, a 4100 SQ FT production space in Downtown Los Angeles.
Emily’s love for imagery began with 35mm film. Her childhood on a 1,000 acre ranch in Idaho, and an ex-Navy father and novelist mother who loved road trips across America, instilled a deep connection to the land.
After working on several projects with LA Film School, Emily worked as a production assistant on “LA Noire,” a Rockstar Games produced video game.
Her directorial debut “Finding Sky” won Best Director and Best Actress at the American International Film Festival. The feature also won the Sir Edmund Hillary Award at the Mountain Film Festival.
Emily continues to write, produce, and direct films with various festival premieres, including Edinburgh Fringe. “Salton” won Best Short Film at the Borrego Film Festival.
Emily also directs editorial and commercial content.
She is a board member of ASMP-LA, and member of APA-LA, Women in Film, and SAG-AFTRA. She has a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Boise State University.
Acting credits include Judd Apatow’s “Love" and sharing the screen with Laura Dern in “The Tale.” She trains at Warner Loughlin and is represented by AEFH, Artistic Talent, and Bohemia Group.
She lives in a cabin outside of LA with her partner TJ Dalrymple. They are in post-production on a film they produced in Scotland.
Jon Pears, Cinematographer
Coming from the UK means that talking about myself doesn't come all that naturally....
...but i will try my best to share a little background.
I started shooting actions sports just as YouTube was becoming a thing, quickly graduating to more 'pro sports' for TV, and also a lot of documentary. All of which saw me travel all over the world with a camera - from Mt. Everest to Montego Bay. It led me to many irreplaceable experiences, with amazing irreplaceable people, and even got to jump out of planes over a thousand times along the way.
After selling a film I had made in 2013 to a LA based studio, I moved to LA and focused my attention towards commercial and narrative work. In addition to client work, I shoot a lot of my own projects, constantly intrigued by the exploration of images and storytelling.
Just like my weekly searches for new music, I am constantly searching for those who I can connect and create with. Living and working in the US with UK eyes and ears, has been quite the adventure, and even with everything i have done, the cliche line of 'I'm Just Getting Started' is appropriate. Thanks for checking out my work!
Kat Yeh, Costume Design
Kat Yeh has decades of experience in the world of fashion. As a global merchandiser at Levi’s she styled celebrities and musicians, ranging from Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Pharrell, Josh Homme, The Kills, Perry Farrell and Erykah Badu. Kat herself has a world class closet of her own yet still sees room for improvement. Always.
StyleKouncil was born from a culmination of everything that she loved. As a personal and professional stylist, Kat has worked with everyone from high powered execs to musicians to busy parents who just need a little style inspiration. Kat prides herself with a unique ability to work with all budgets, styles and individual needs. She is sincerely driven to help people find their true style while guiding them through an often chaotic shopping world.
Beyond personal styling, Kat has ventured into creating looks for film, print, music video, virtual reality gaming and store sets. Her extensive portfolio of wardrobe styling across a wide range of medium and genres is limitless. You can check out her work on her website.
Stan Bautista, Location Manager
A northern California native and thirty-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Stan joined the ranks of professional filmmakers in 2015. Thanks to scores of commercial, industrial & film credits along with a 2018 COLA Location Manager of the Year nomination, Stan is one of Sacramento’s most experienced and called on location specialists.
Feleicia Martin, Art Director
Feleicia began her career in Film after getting her degree in Costume Design. With over a decade of experience in Film and Theater, combined with an avid interest in the human condition, Feleicia excels in character and story development while having a keen eye for environmental design. Her line of work ranges from music videos, Indi feature films, commercials, documentaries, corporate projects, and short films. Working with both local and major brands Feleicia has worked with Smosh, NBC, ITV, Toyota, Shriners Hospital, Goo Goo Dolls, SNL’s Melissa Villasenor and more. She has a love for stories that encompass the human experience.
Hugo Martínez, Production Designer
Born and raised in Stockton California, as well as Jalisco México, Hugo Francisco Martínez grew up as the energetic kid with an infectious personality. A graduate of The L.A. Film School with a focus in production design and art direction, as well as the California Institute of the Arts’ Technical Theatre Design and Actors Studio Program, Hugo has spent the last 10 years working in theatre and film productions including Los Angeles Broadway, Disney, Netflix, Hulu, Broadway Sacramento, A&E, Discovery Familia, HGTV, Google, Germany’s Next Top Model and more! He has dedicated his life as a designer, storyteller, and filmmaker to find ways to bring a better understanding of Chicano culture to the stage, screen, as well as behind the camera.
Production Sound Mixer, Jon Gerdemann
MY MAIN GOAL IS TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT PRODUCTION SOUND, DO THE PROJECT JUSTICE, AND HELP TO ENABLE THE DIRECTORS VISION.
As a Production Sound Mixer I have been working on set, recording sound for many years. Before I began working in Film and Television full time, I worked as an Audio Engineer in recording studios, and have experience in post production, recording, mixing and mastering music, as well as running live sound, and even restoration for old films and television shows. Chances are you own a DVD or Blue-Ray disc that I restored the audio for!
I own all of my own Location Sound equipment, and am also an FCC licensed wireless microphone operator.
Assistant Director, Sydney Stephenson
Sydney Stephenson has been working in the film industry for 20 years, both in front of and behind the camera. As a teenager, she started her film career on the set of Veronica Mars in San Diego CA. Her first job, as a stand in and photo double for Kristen Bell, was enough to get her a SAG card and lifetime career path.
After moving to LA to pursue acting, she more and more often found herself behind the camera, collaborating with the crew about the projects she worked on. This led Sydney to the business, production and direction aspects of the industry and after many years and projects in California, she left Los Angeles for Oklahoma City to be closer to family and continue her work in Oklahoma’s booming film industry. She has worked as creative producer and 1st Assistant Director on countless projects and continues to create and pursue new projects.
Sydney has also worked extensively as a photographer which is how she came to know Emily Sandifer. A huge fan of Emily's work, Sydney arranged to assist and shadow Emily in order to enhance her own photography skills. The two became fast friends and Sydney and Emily have continued to work together.
Production Company
Peridot Pictures Mission Statement:
Peridot Pictures is focused on creating true-to-life human stories that uplift, transform, and inspire audiences. We aim to create content that promote both diversity and gender parity and celebrate the whole spectrum of humanity.
Management Team:
Courtney Blythe Turk— Courtney is originally from AL, where she studied radio/film/tv, with a theatre minor, at Auburn University. She then moved to Los Angeles where she worked as an executive assistant under Fabrica de Cine (The Irishman, Silence) from 2014 to 2015, and in 2016 landed the role as an Executive of the film finance and development production company entitled Foxtail Entertainment.
Courtney is an Executive Producer of the thriller Assassination Nation, starring Bella Thorne, Suki Waterhouse, Bill Skarsgard, and Joel McHale, which was purchased by NEON after a midnight premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2018. Past films produced include The Ticket (Tribeca 2016) starring Malin Akerman, Dan Stevens and Oliver Platt, Netflix and Marti Noxon's To the Bone (Sundance 2017) starring Keanu Reeves and Lily Collins, director Kate Brooks' award winning documentary The Last Animals (Tribeca 2017) set in Africa following the conservationists battling poachers and trafficking syndicates to protect elephants and rhinos from extinction, and surreal drama On Our Way starring James Badge Dale and Jordana Brewster.
She is currently developing a true story drama with Hidden Empire and Deon Taylor (Meet the Blacks), a hallucinatory thriller with Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu) and an inspired by true events drama with James Strong (Broadchurch) directing.
Andrea Monier— Andrea is originally from Tucson, AZ where she graduated Valedictorian of her high school class and then went on to receive Cum Laude honors with a degree in Engineering and a minor in Theater Arts from the University of Arizona. Upon her arrival to Los Angeles, she began to act in independent films, including several short films and features. During this time, she also developed a passion for the creative process and began to incorporate producing into her repertoire. Andrea began working alongside line producers on features in order to learn all the production components and the critical elements behind the lens. Once she garnered enough experience, Andrea set out to produce her own features. One of Andrea’s first films she produced was Jesse Baget's White Knight (now known as Cellmates), which was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and Warner Brothers for distribution; it also won 9 best picture awards at various prestigious festivals. She also produced the award-winning Eddie Alcazar directed documentary, TAPIA, which was executive produced by Fifty Cent and premiered on HBO. Most recently Andrea acted as the Vice President of Wownow Entertainment (formerly Ruthless Pictures), a production and distribution company that specializes in independent, genre and animated movies where she oversaw production of over 400 products. She is currently producing several independent features that are in various stages of development.