Phoenix-area native to write, direct new feature-length film in Arizona

PHOENIX — Arizona will soon be the backdrop of a new feature film that will feature a plethora of local talent, including a Phoenix-area native who will direct the entire movie.

“Raising Buchanan” is a comedy about Ruth Kiesling, a 40-year-old Phoenix woman who finds herself in a low point of her life and steals the body of President James Buchanan in an effort to gain ransom money.

The problem? No one is particularly interested in getting Buchanan back.

The movie was written and directed by Tempe native Bruce Dellis. Dellis has won four Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards and has been nominated for nine more Emmys during his career.

The feature-length motion picture began production earlier this month and will be shot entirely on location.

While shooting a film entirely on location could present its challenges, Dellis said it was not impossible.

“Growing up in Arizona and wanting to make films in Arizona is definitely such a doable thing now,” he said.

“There’s plenty of resources, there’s enough infrastructure for anybody to get things done, there’s enough opportunity for networking, and next thing you know, you might be in a position to make a feature film.”

Dellis said local businesses were happy to accommodate with filming.

“A lot of people are more than happy to engage a film community to offer some assistance and that makes the production itself have a little more reality,” he said.

Amanda Melby, who played Ruth and was an executive producer on the film, said there is not a lot of feature film production in Arizona, but her and Dellis were able to wrangle up a crew entirely from the Valley.

“Our crew is 100 percent local,” Melby said. “We brought in five actors from Los Angeles, everybody else is here. There’s 20 speaking parts, and there’s a tremendous group of actors that are also local here and are professional actors.”

According to IMDB, the film will be released in May 2018.

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