All Films
- Action & Adventure
- African American
- Animation
- Art Film
- Comedy
- Cult
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Environmental
- Family
- Female Filmmakers
- Film Festival in a Box
- Foreign
- Gay & Lesbian
- Home Movie
- Horror
- IndieFlix Classics
- IndieFlix Official Selections
- Live Performance
- Love Stinks
- Music Video
- Musical
- Reality
- Romance
- Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Silent
- Special Interest
- Sports
- Teens
- Television
- Thrillers
- Webseries
- Western
Donut Shop Hero
27 minutes Comedy / Drama / IndieFlix Official Selections
A Donut Shop full of hostages look to a reluctant security guard to save them from two trigger-happy sociopaths.
Intended Audience: Teen
When two trigger-happy sociopaths take a Donut Shop full of customers hostage, a security guard (Pete) who’s confused for a cop is expected to save the day. Unfortunately, the uniform does not make the man and this off-duty security guard is no braver than the next guy. In this satirical and twisted black comedy, an unlikely hero will rise.
“We built the story around the concept that most people confuse uniforms for real authority. You see a guy in a uniform and you assume he’ll take responsibility, that he’s capable of handling a dangerous situation. No matter the uniform. He could be a meter maid, a traffic cop and we as a society assume he’s capable of standing up to a pair of trigger happy psychos. But in truth they’re just men and women in uniform, flawed and the real tragedy is our own perception that these men and women are any braver than the next guy.”
“All of our cinematic choices had to reinforce this hyper truth. Lighting, production design and camera angles were pushed just a hair beyond “natural” to heighten color and tone. Moments are stretched just a beat longer than what feels comfortable. Our main location, the donut shop, had been designed in homage to the original Willy Wonka movie which was perfect for our project since DONUT SHOP HERO rides this hyper reality that’s unpredictable and lawless. We were meticulous about every detail, casting, music, pace, the delicate shift from comedy to violence, even what order the donuts were placed in the box. But, it also meant we had to be flexible and defer to each other’s strengths as directors.”
Nick Harris & Charles Rhoads
Los Angeles, CA 2009
- Directed by: Charles Rhoads & Nick Harris
- Written by: Charles Rhoads & Nick Harris
- Produced by: TKSandal
- Run Time: 27 minutes
- Release Date: 2009
-
Country:
United States of America
- Intended Audience: teen
- Website Donut Shop Hero
Written by Charles Rhoads & Nick Harris
Produced by TKSandal
Cast
Denham Leftwich:
Lucy Roberts:
Carrie Hannenberger:
Shannon McKanna:
Alexander Nguyen:
William Best:
Rachel Kanouse:
Adam Schomer:
Ronald Major:
Peter Buitenhek:
Aaron Wayne Hill:
Jon Allen:
Matt Ragan:
Caroline Amiguet:
Dalton Leftwich:
Andrew Frischerz:
Kyra Krenitsky:
Keith Sullivan:
Ana Gatchell:
Stevan Turk:
Aaron Bahlman:
Charles Rhoads:
Helene Jouin:
Rene Attile:
Aaron Bahlman:
Amber Edwards:
Justin Qifei Wang:
Kevin London:
Lorin D. Miller:
Tom Proctor:
Kevin London:
Aaron Pavlica:
Michael Westby:
Kyle Long:
Melissa Lyon-Low:
Bob Low:
James Naish:
Bobby Ohneiser:
Caleb Ruggiero:
Aaron Bahlman:
Chris Brady:
Stevan Turk:
Nate Carter:
Scott Leas:
Sean Rolie:
Tom Proctor:
Richie Thomassen:
Eri Magara:
Nicole Bossier:
Allison Tartari:
Rachelle Hahn:
Liz Webster:
Yesica Rodriguez:
Shayna Banfe:
Michael Westby:
Julien Janigo:
Trina K Sandal:
Creative Mixing:
Caleb Ruggiero:
Sarah Cleveland:
Lise Nystrom:
Richard Harris:
Spencer Stanner:
Seismic FX:
Chris Julian:
Vita Tanga:
Carlos "Storm" Martinez:
Peter Martinez:
Vinny Lanelli:
Lisa Liu:
Vita Tanga (courtesy of the band liquidS):
Tripp Dudley:
Bashiri Johnson:
Lisa Liu:
Las Vegas International Film and Video Festival -- Award Of Merit (Won)
Cannes Film Festival - Short Film Corner
Indie Fest USA (Anaheim, California) -- Award Of Merit (Won)
DONUT SHOP HERO is a black comedy about the illusion of authority and the ease with which most of society will shirk responsibility. Co-Written and Directed by Nick Harris and Charles Rhoads DONUT SHOP HERO was shot in 14 days in San Diego, California and completed in February of 2009.
Inspired by the frank violence of Don Seigel’s Dirty Harry and the films of Joel & Ethan Coen, Harris and Rhoads developed the script after they witnessed a little boy’s disappointment in discovering that a man in uniform at a fast food joint wasn’t a cop…he was just a security guard. The devastation on the Guard’s face and the disappointment in the little boy’s “oooohhh,” was enough to get the wheels turning and Harris and Rhoads soon found a way to develop this single moment into a fully realized story that is an “indictment of society’s apathy”. Revulsion for responsibility, the iconography of authority and the violence of power “all mixed with a dash of ballistic humor” have resulted in this highly stylized and meticulously crafted short film. Currently screening on the international film festival circuit, DONUT SHOP HERO puts a dark and tortured spin on the sweeping generalizations that very often lead to tragic results.
With an ensemble cast led by Keith Sullivan, DONUT SHOP HERO was produced by Trina Kumari Sandal, in association with Sunspot Pictures. Harris and Rhoads edited the film. Julien Janigo was the film’s cinematographer and Vita Tanga composed original music.