<div><strong>HITCHHEIST</strong> is a high-stakes western crime thriller about an immigrant rideshare driver who unwittingly becomes the getaway driver for a bank heist gone disastrously wrong.
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<div><strong>PLOT SUMMARY:</strong>
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<div>Daniel, a weary Honduran immigrant and rideshare driver, is barely holding his life together. He’s in the United States fighting to build a better future for his family, but his wife remains back home, pregnant with their first child. She can’t join him, and going back would mean abandoning everything he’s sacrificed and worked so hard for.
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<div>Then a desperate fugitive named Keith gets into his car with two bags of stolen cash, forcing Daniel into a dangerous ride that tests his morality and courage. As tensions rise, Daniel must grapple with the allure of easy money and his responsibility to his family.
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<div><strong>WHY ME? WHY THIS STORY?</strong>
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<div>At eight years old, I moved from Honduras and experienced firsthand the systemic and emotional struggles immigrants face.
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<div>Exploring themes of morality, corruption, the burden of familial responsibility, and the pull of the American Dream, I aim to capture the intricate structures of immigrant life through the lens of a high-stakes thriller.
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<div>With increasing attention on these issues today, I believe this story necessitates being told. Today, equality and community are increasingly treated as relics of the past. I hope to tell a story that breaks those boundaries, depicting a harrowing reflection of reality.
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<div><strong>BUDGET:</strong>
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<div>To make Hitchheist come to life on the silver screen, we need a total of $5,000 for the following:
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<div>Catering - 33.7%
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<div>Actors - 31.1%
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<div>Props and Costume - 10.7%
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<div>Gear - 9.9%
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<div>Gas and Transportation - 9.7%
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<div>Contingency - 5%
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<div>We already secured the following for filming:
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<div>- FX3s + monitor + gimbal
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<div>- 4K Drone Camera
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<div><strong>WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS:</strong>
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<div>By supporting <em>Hitchheist</em>, you’re backing a bold, immigrant-led vision that refuses to water down the truth. Every dollar helps us tell a story that challenges, reflects, and resonates.
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<div>Help us make something that matters.
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<div>Hitchheist is scheduled to film in January 2026.
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<div>We would appreciate your help in supporting film students here at the University of Texas at Austin to put another student film onto the silver screen. Thank you for your donation!
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Grace Koo

Bryan Montgomery

Dawson Zavala

Eliseo Pruneda

Ximena Gonzalez

Hannah Zavala

David Elorreaga

Jennifer Zavala

David Handal

Benjamin Campagnuolo

Julian Knox-Broyles

Olga Brown

Sandra Sanchez

Isabella Jaar

Ishita Murthy

Gladys Mena

Anonymous

Hitchheist Short Film, Directed by Mario Jaar

Hitchheist Short Film, Directed by Mario Jaar

Still $3,885 to go. Help us build momentum.