Ghost Town, A love story about Community
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Hello, I am Jen Zeuner, Producer of the documentary film Ghost Town. This is a film about the struggle to retain community in desirable, and often isolated towns in the west, as told through the lens of the restaurant industry. My wife, Anne Keller is the Director and cinematographer of the film.
Anne and I founded The Hot Tomato Pizzeria in Fruita, CO in 2005. For the past 16 years, we have seen the highs and lows of the restaurant business but nothing has prepared us for the current challenges this industry faces.
Small, passionate, independent restaurants face a daily struggle to keep their doors open. Restaurateurs cannot find enough staff to meet the demands of day to day operations. Tourism in most western communities is at an all-time high and available housing is at an all-time low. Employees are chasing their dream to live, work and play in these beautiful places only to show up for a job and have to leave because they cannot find secure housing. Business owners themselves often can't afford to own, or even in some cases rent homes in the communities they are pouring their heart and soul into. Every day, owners must face the difficult decision of how to keep their operation going, and employees face the difficult decision of how long to commit to a community that they may never afford.
What happens when we lose the people who make businesses function? What happens when we lose our gathering places? What happens when we lose the heart and soul of our communities? What happens when the divide in desirable recreation communities between service workers and those who can afford to live there becomes too much and the town collapses?
This is a story that gives those that serve in our restaurant communities a voice. This is a film meant to illustrate the deep inequities present in who gets to live comfortably in western towns, versus who is required to keep them operating. And when businesses are forced to close, this becomes a film ultimately about what we lose when we lose food; the heart and soul of any community.
These issues are critical at this time if we all want to gather around food in the future and keep independent restaurants alive.
As the producer of the film, it is my job to complete this project with the highest level of quality. We are in the next phase of production for this film. During the summer of 2021 we traveled, filmed, and interviewed in 9 different communities in the Rocky Mountain West.
For the next phase of production we plan to return to many of these same communities during the spring and summer of 2022, following the previous story and expanding upon the experiences of those we followed.
We are offering you an opportunity to support something you believe in. This documentary is only possible with your contribution. We can't thank you enough for supporting this story.
Anne and I founded The Hot Tomato Pizzeria in Fruita, CO in 2005. For the past 16 years, we have seen the highs and lows of the restaurant business but nothing has prepared us for the current challenges this industry faces.
Small, passionate, independent restaurants face a daily struggle to keep their doors open. Restaurateurs cannot find enough staff to meet the demands of day to day operations. Tourism in most western communities is at an all-time high and available housing is at an all-time low. Employees are chasing their dream to live, work and play in these beautiful places only to show up for a job and have to leave because they cannot find secure housing. Business owners themselves often can't afford to own, or even in some cases rent homes in the communities they are pouring their heart and soul into. Every day, owners must face the difficult decision of how to keep their operation going, and employees face the difficult decision of how long to commit to a community that they may never afford.
What happens when we lose the people who make businesses function? What happens when we lose our gathering places? What happens when we lose the heart and soul of our communities? What happens when the divide in desirable recreation communities between service workers and those who can afford to live there becomes too much and the town collapses?
This is a story that gives those that serve in our restaurant communities a voice. This is a film meant to illustrate the deep inequities present in who gets to live comfortably in western towns, versus who is required to keep them operating. And when businesses are forced to close, this becomes a film ultimately about what we lose when we lose food; the heart and soul of any community.
These issues are critical at this time if we all want to gather around food in the future and keep independent restaurants alive.
As the producer of the film, it is my job to complete this project with the highest level of quality. We are in the next phase of production for this film. During the summer of 2021 we traveled, filmed, and interviewed in 9 different communities in the Rocky Mountain West.
For the next phase of production we plan to return to many of these same communities during the spring and summer of 2022, following the previous story and expanding upon the experiences of those we followed.
We are offering you an opportunity to support something you believe in. This documentary is only possible with your contribution. We can't thank you enough for supporting this story.
What will we be using these donations for?
- Prep Crew: Fees for Directors and Producers
- Shoot Crew- Time spent filming
- Creating our trailer
- Travel and lodging
- Location Fees and permits
- Equipment Rental
- Miscellaneous Other Production Costs
Who we are:
Director and Cinematographer
Anne Keller
As the co-founder and former owner of the Hot Tomato pizzeria in Fruita, Colorado,
Anne intrinsically understands and cares deeply about the viability of the restaurant industry. This film is personal for her. Anne’s past life involved several years as a staff photographer for Bike Magazine where she shot editorial stories for the publication. She has also been on the other side of the lens as one of the subjects of the Patagonia film “Life of Pie,” While this film is one of her first two big projects, she has many talented film friends whom she plans to message incessantly for advice.
Co-Producer
Jen Zeuner
Jen is the co-founder and former owner of The Hot Tomato Pizzeria in Fruita, Colorado. Jen grew up in New Jersey - the land of pizza. After moving west and missing her home state pizzerias, it was a no-brainer that she would turn her dream into a reality and start her own business. This is Jen’s first film project, where she is tackling the arduous task of wrangling her cohorts and subjects, and asking people to finance this production; all things she is generally adept at. Jen really cares about good food and has a vested interest in the future sustainability of the industry she loves so much.
Director of Photography and Cinematographer
Leslie Kehmeier
Leslie was born and raised on the Front Range of Colorado. When Leslie was a kid, her parents gave her three things that are integral to her life today: a camera, a bicycle, and a love for traveling. About 14 years ago, she quit her traditional job, sold most of her things, and rode her bicycle around the world. The experience taught her that she was better at sleeping in a tent than sitting at a desk. These days, Leslie is a full-time storyteller, photographer, and now filmmaker. Her work has been featured in Outside and Freehub Magazines and she works with commercial clients like Patagonia and Shimano.
Editor and Moral Support
Ben Knight
Ben was first inspired to make documentaries as a young man working behind the projector at Mountainfilm, and he’s gone on to become one of the festival’s most celebrated filmmakers, loved for his gorgeously precise cinematography and his irreverent sense of humor. His films include the viral hit Denali (Mountainfilm 2015), the feature DamNation (Mountainfilm 2014), produced in conjunction with Patagonia; as well as classics like Running Down the Man (Mountainfilm 2013) and Red Gold (Mountainfilm in 2008). Knight, along with his producing partner Travis Rummel, runs Felt Soul Media. Rummel and Knight also made the films Senior: 82 Winters in Telluride,Kamchatka Steelhead Project (both Mountainfilm 2016), Katie (Mountainfilm 2018) and Life of Pie (Mountainfilm 2019). Knight lives in a schoolhouse near Howard, Colorado, with his wife, daughter, chickens, and two cats.
Co-Producer
Arielle Brachfeld
Arielle is an Emmy-nominated Producer. She attended the prestigious Denver School of the Arts, and performed in the Denver theater scene before shifting to Los Angeles. She became the Film Project Manager for the Los Angeles Unified School District's Arts Branch and kickstarted an industry studio partnership which included creative industry Adopt-A-School, district-wide festivals, community engagement outreach and celebrity and studio mentorship programs. She’s produced 8 feature films in the past ten years, five of which have received distribution through Lionsgate. She’s produced New Media content for Microsoft, PBS, DreadCentral, PodcastOne, 23andMe and others. Arielle currently serves in leadership positions on the Grand Junction Film Festival, Avalon Theater Foundation, and Grand Junction Creative District committees. She teaches part time as an instructor through the Digital Film Program through Colorado Mesa University, and has a rambunctious toddler.
Co-Producer
Arielle Brachfeld
Arielle is an Emmy-nominated Producer. She attended the prestigious Denver School of the Arts, and performed in the Denver theater scene before shifting to Los Angeles. She became the Film Project Manager for the Los Angeles Unified School District's Arts Branch and kickstarted an industry studio partnership which included creative industry Adopt-A-School, district-wide festivals, community engagement outreach and celebrity and studio mentorship programs. She’s produced 8 feature films in the past ten years, five of which have received distribution through Lionsgate. She’s produced New Media content for Microsoft, PBS, DreadCentral, PodcastOne, 23andMe and others. Arielle currently serves in leadership positions on the Grand Junction Film Festival, Avalon Theater Foundation, and Grand Junction Creative District committees. She teaches part time as an instructor through the Digital Film Program through Colorado Mesa University, and has a rambunctious toddler.
Co-organizers (2)
Jen Zeuner
Organizer
Fruita, CO
Anne Keller
Co-organizer