Project of the Day: ‘Oriole Park’

Here’s your daily dose of an indie film in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.

In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.

Oriole Park

Tweetable Logline: 1978. Chicago. After the death of her mother, a teen struggles to find her place in a neighborhood living in the shadow of John Wayne Gacy.

Elevator Pitch: “Oriole Park” stars Joey King (“Wish I Was Here”) as a young woman who has recently lost her mother and is watching her father lose a battle with depression and alcoholism in the fall of 1978. Her struggle to find acceptance leads her to a group of delinquents who introduce her to the world of drugs, alcohol and violence that she’s tried desperately to escape. Set against the backdrop of the John Wayne Gacy murders, the project also stars Joel Murray (“Mad Men”), Thomas Beaudoin (“Other Plans”) and Christian Stolte (“Chicago Fire”), with music by The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon.

Production Team:
Kevin Slack – Director
Eric Anderson – Writer / Producer
Amelia Dellos – Writer / Producer
Steve Johns – Executive Producer
Brian Fallon – Composer
Jennifer Scher – Producer

About the film: “Oriole Park” is about the legacy of violence in our society, and how the violence that happens behind closed doors can echo as loudly as the kind that ends up on the evening news. It’s about how violence can help create monsters, and how small acts of kindness can lead a person out of the darkness. “Oriole Park” exists because Oriole Park exists. It’s a real place, a real neighborhood, a real part of my life. The movie is inspired by my experiences growing up there, by my childhood, my family, my friends, and the place that shaped me.

Current Status: We’re in active pre-production, scouting locations, hiring cast and crew, and fundraising. Our intent it to shoot late this fall or early next spring.

For more information and to support this project: Fundrazr Page

If you have an in-the-works project and you’d like to be profiled in an upcoming iW Project of the Day column, submit yourself by filling out this form!