"Highway 87" a short film

On behalf of all of the creatives involved, I am proud to announce the fundraising campaign for the short romantic drama, Highway 87. 

James, while driving late at night on a road trip with his love-interest, Lana, decides to tell her that he is in love with her for the very first time. The evening spirals into a bizarre, but pleasant enlightenment as the two figure out their own way to deal with the "love" word.


The goal with this story is to share a personal perspective on modern love, and how romantic rhetoric is something that truly challenges young generations.  Culture in the 21st Century is clashing between the traditional romantics that consists of current parents and youth who struggle to even orally ask someone on a date. Many of these ideas are derivative of Aziz Ansari's new comedic novel, "Modern Romance".  Early in his book he states:

"I realized that the transformation of our romantic lives cannot be explained by technology alone; there's much more to the story. In a very short period of time, the whole culture of finding love and a mate has radically changed. A century ago people would find a decent person who lived in their neighborhood. Their families would meet, and after they decided neither party seemed like a murderer, the couple would get married and have a kid, all by the time they were twenty-two. Today people spend years of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person, a soul mate."

Above all, my goal is to capture life in all of its small but glorious beauty. 


Here is a little about me, the director.My name is Eliot Grigo , and I am a cinematographer pursuing one of my first major directing projects, which is also my thesis film project for Syracuse University.  Originally from Maine, I have studied the visual arts for the greater portion of my academic career. Studying at institutions such as Maine Media Workshops and Rochester Institute of Technology, I am now finishing my B.F.A in Film at Syracuse University. During this time at Syracuse, I have shot and directed several films, including writing and co-directing a social-activism short film, All Is Forgiven (2015), which was screened at the Women's and Minorities in Film Festival, and received 3rd place at the (In)Justice For All Film Festival.

In the spring of 2016, I traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic to film a short romantic drama, For My Lovers (2016), which went on to premiere at the Santa Fe Film Festival last December. In addition to making films, I have dedicated a lot of my energy to the revival of analog film mediums, shooting For My Lovers on 35mm and more recently a soon-to-be-released drama shot on 16mm, Pretty Empty (2017). (See the short teaser trailer below.)


Meet Kay, as lead role for "Lana".
Kay started acting in 2014, but has been interested in the arts, specifically film photography, since age 13. A graduate from FIT with two fashion degrees, Kay decided to pursue acting spontaneously. Through acting, Kay was able to find a purer form of her artistic expression. Currently, she studies at the Anthony Abeson Studio in New York, and has had training in Alexander Technique from Karen Braga, as well as the HB Studio, T. Schrieber Studio, and the PIT. In addition to acting in several short films, Kay has also just starred in her first feature film lead role in "Cats Kill", directed by Alex Cherney and Greg Casino.


Meet our lead, Taylor.
Taylor Rosen is an actor and writer based in New York City. After graduating from Binghamton University in 2015 with a degree in English literature, he began professionally working as an actor in New York. He has since worked on a number of short and feature films, including the lead role of “Ari” in the upcoming feature film “Elia and Ari” directed by Sophie Savides. 


Here's some info on the funding.
Highway 87 is already backed by Syracuse University and Lonestar, but we still need your help! Here are some things that our production still needs to cover expenses for:

1. Car Insurance. There is a car in the film, and we want to protect everyone involved!
2. Gas Money. Crew members, as well as cast members, will be carpooling to and from set–this is a critical part of principal photography.
3. Location Rental. We are shooting a "Gulf" gas station twenty minutes away from Syracuse University–we need to compensate the location for allowing us to shoot!
4. Truck Rental. We need to get a truckload of film equipment (anything from cameras, lights, dolly tracks, flags and frames, apple boxes, everything we need, etc.) from Syracuse University to the location in Parish, NY.
5.  Production Box. This includes everything from first aid kits, to trash bags, to handy-dandy duct tape!
6. Essential Equipment. The essentials consist of gaffer's tape that comes at $30 a roll, gels for converting light temperatures, and even clothespins for clipping various small gadgets!

Note that all donations will be credited in the film, and all donations will be rewarded with a signed script and poster sent in the mail! Any donation of $500 or more will be given Executive Producer credit alongside Denzel Deranamie from Lonestar Films. 

Meet Denzel, our Executive Producer.
Founder of Lonestar Films LLC, his vision for filmmaking is only beginning to flourish; being featured in Fader Magazine for directing the music video "Vibe With" by Eli Sostre. He has also worked with artists all over coast to coast, including D Goodz and Gio Dee. We are very proud to have Denzel on board with "Highway 87".



This financial support will not only allow me to complete my thesis project, but it will allow me to connect professional actors within the industry, and the talented, vigorous dedicated Syracuse film departments of VPA and Newhouse. Funding this project will allow the actors to augment their portfolios, crew members to form even closer connections and bonds, and all of the people who will view this film!


Although this project has already been financially backed by Lonestar (@lonestar ) and Syracuse University, there are still funds that we need to acquire within the week before principle photography! It is ambitious, but our production team believes it can be done with your support, whether it is a financial contribution or even a simple share!

Any amount of money put towards this project, even a dollar, will help us! We have a lot of money to raise, and your support means everything to me, to the other creatives associated with the project, as well as Lonestar LLC and Killian Films LLC.

Thank you for visiting the campaign, and learning more about Highway 87!