Statement by Director Austin Hice
Growing up in small-town Texas, I was taught that in life there are good guys and bad guys with no in-between - And that Americans are always the good guys. I pledged allegiance to the flag. I learned to be patriotic and loyal. Above all, I would fight for my beliefs. What I didn't learn was how to react when real life proves all of these ideals to be hollow, or worse, evil.
The idea for THE LAND OF SHADOWED SAND came about at a time when America was galvanized. In the beginnings of the 21st century, my fellow filmmakers and I found ourselves surrounded by a country-wide sea of blind nationalism and misguided loyalties. This became an intellectual and philosophical turning point for me. The teachings of my youth vanished almost instantly and were replaced by horror at the potential dangers of an extremist society willing to sacrifice facts, truths, liberty and human rights in pursuit of hegemony and the illusion of safety. Of course, many of those potential dangers have now become our daily reality.
Since directly confronting such polarized subjects is ineffective, we decided to tell a story that, though fictional, reflects the problem in historical terms. The setting was a small-town in Texas at the end of the Korean War - The trailing edge of McCarthy's red scare. The manipulative alarmism over communism would act as the mirror image of our society today. However, what is more important to the story than the political implications is the struggle of the individuals in that period and place. Everyone was torn between their programmed loyalties to friends and country and their base need to do the right thing, each of which did not live in harmony with the other.
At its heart, this is a story about three kids who are entangled in a dark world much greater than themselves who learn that escaping with their consciences and friendships in tact will be nearly as difficult as getting out alive.
There is no three-act structure. There is no redemptive character arc. The only tenant of this tale is that no matter where you are things can always get worse.
Welcome to THE LAND OF SHADOWED SAND,Austin Hice