A young man is lured into the world of backyard boxing in order to save his mother’s life.
“A young man is lured into the world of backyard boxing in order to save his mother’s life.”
As a sick mother nods off to sleep, her teenage son anxiously sits with his new role as the family’s breadwinner. Rather than spend his night with a girl or at a house party, he sneaks out to handle the thick stack of medical bills.
On the outskirts of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, he meets with Salvador, his coworker from a nearby packing and shipping plant. Salvador leads him into the dark arena of backyard boxing where he’s set to face off against a fighter almost twice his size.
The odds stacked against him, he must discover if he’s got what it takes in the ring and what it takes to be a man.
Cross the feature-film follows the title-character as he navigates the world of backyard boxing.
Young, dedicated and eager to prove himself, 19-year old Cross continues on his journey of blood for cash to continue making ends meet and forge a path as a boxer.
After he subdues a violent drunk, a local fight promoter approaches Cross for an upcoming match. He mentors Cross and promises him a lucrative career. However, Cross finds difficulty in juggling multiple jobs, commitments to his family, and his new career in backyard fighting.
With plans to utilize many of the same cast and crew, the feature will continue the story, characters and world established in the short film, while also introducing more diverse cast members that enrich the themes of this narrative.
A completed treatment and budget breakdown is available for those interested. Contact us below.
Gerardo ‘Gerry’ Maravilla is a Mexican-American independent filmmaker living in Los Angeles, CA. He is passionate about projects that focus on outsiders of the mainstream American and pop-culture experience.
In 2011, he collaborated with the youth empowerment organization, Casa Clementina, to direct a series of short documentaries on the Suchitoto Jazz Festival, a festival aimed to raise awareness of musicians in the Central American nation of El Salvador.
He earned his BA in Art History and Visual Arts with an emphasis in Film and Media Studies from Occidental College. His short sci-fi thriller, "Patient 1221," and its accompanying alternate reality game received distinction from his graduating class.
After completing his successful crowdfunding campaign for “Cross”, he joined Seed&Spark as a Crowdfunding Specialist where he coaches other filmmakers to success.
B. Rich Adams is the CEO of BrightSparks Entertainment as well as head of development and a partner in Rio Vista Universal. With a varied and diverse background in music production, technology, hosting, TV production and screenwriting, he has worked on numerous creative and commercial projects, from chart topping singles and music videos to award winning shorts and commercials.
In 2012, B. Rich moved to Los Angeles. As a producer on several projects such as docu-reality series “Back From the Dead”, scripted serial “Attaché” and “The Shift” TV series, he manages a diverse slate of scripted and unscripted TV and film projects in various stages of development.
Melanie DiPietro is the CEO of M.A.D. Elephant, Inc. After editing for 10 years, she got her start in producing at the University of Miami where she produced three award winning short films, two of which were screened at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. After moving to LA in 2011, she has worked on several projects as Producer, Assistant Director, or Script Supervisor. Her latest feature film, THE SHIFT, starring Leo Oliva and Danny Glover, won the Audience Choice Award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival in 2013 and just secured domestic distribution. THE SHIFT was the first feature she produced with her producing partner, Leo Oliva. The team has several projects in development.
Leo Oliva is CEO of Oliva Productions and Head of Development for M.A.D. Elephant, Inc. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Nursing in 2006. In addition to being a registered nurse, Leo is a trained actor. In 2009, he officially became a graduate of the Sanford Meisner Studio in Burbank, Calif. He was the Lead Actor/Writer/Executive Producer of THE SHIFT, starring alongside Danny Glover. Before writing THE SHIFT, Leo wrote, produced and starred in a short film, SPOILS OF WAR. His other acting credits include the FX TV show LOUIE and the feature film STRIKE ONE with Danny Trejo.
Jason S. Mordeno is an Asian American actor/filmmaker from Los Angeles, CA. Enamored with art and business, Jason devotes his time learning and crafting his skills in order to pave his way through as a student of the industry.
In 2013, Jason garnered his first acting role as a lead in an American adaptation of the popular Korean drama "Boys Over Flowers". In 2014, Jason joined Homeroom Production/Creative, an "everything" production company specializing in creative/entertainment needs as well as content creation of their own.
"Cross" will be Jason's first starring role in a short and feature film.