Compass: A Western Short Film

Hi, my name is Samuel R. J. Hanke. I am the Writer and Director of Compass. I wrote this story about my experience with grief after losing my father to lung cancer. My journey through grief was hard; I strayed a bit further from the man that I wanted to be. It was through this experience, where I learned to change my perspective. Instead of dwelling on what I’ve lost, I learned to be grateful for what I currently have. I have learned that when you dwell on what you lack, or the loss of something, you can sacrifice the present. I decided I wanted to make a film about this experience not just for myself, but for those who also have lost a loved one and have found themselves to be lost in grief or have gone to a dark place, to remind them and myself that we don’t have to dwell on our loss. Instead, if we just look up and look around us, we will find plenty of hope and people to love and to cherish, and how much more of an enriching experience love can be because we know what loss is.

SYNOPSIS

Set against the sun-scorched backdrop of the Mojave Desert, Compass is a poetic revisionist Western that follows a grief-stricken young man seeking vengeance for his father's murder. Fueled by anger and guided only by a broken compass left to him by his father, he sets out to confront Kaleb, a cynical, world-weary gunslinger responsible for tearing his family apart.

But revenge is rarely simple. As bullets fly, the young man finds himself face-to-face with not just his enemy, but the cycle of violence he threatens to continue.

GOAL

Our goal for fundraising will allow us to tell this story in the most powerful and authentic way possible, and we will need your help to do it. We expect to shoot across a few weekends in fall 2025 and will be using the funds to cover the costs of production, including renting equipment, feeding cast and crew, insurance, as well as festival submission costs. This being a period piece means props and costumes can be expensive. We plan to make this project look as authentic as possible. Any amount is a significant help and will be an inclusion with each donor's name in the credits.

CAST & CREW

Samuel R. J. Hanke / Writer & Director

Cameron D. Myers / Co-Director & Producer

Luke Maas / Assistant Director & Producer

Aram Levonian / 2nd Assistant Director

Matthew Biendara / 2nd Assistant Camera

Gage Champlin / Armorer & Costume Design

Thomas E. Bateman / Composer