A friendship dissolves when Evan, the slowest runner on the cross-country team, tries to outshine his best friend and prove himself to the varsity seniors by taking them on a high-speed joy ride in his mom’s Mini Cooper.

TREATMENT

INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY

We want to take every measure possible to bring authenticity and naturalism to each frame of One Twenty-Six.

While One Twenty-Six is a narrative fiction, we’ll capture the film in a vérité documentary style.

When shooting we’ll run long exploratory takes giving our cast the freedom to improv and allow a scripted dialogue to evolve into an authentic behavior that supports our scripted narrative beats. This will allow us to capture all the messiness, humor, and tension of real life, prioritizing story over an exact script.

This is not the film where twenty-seven-year-olds play teenagers.

We’re looking for teenagers as they really come – acne-ridden, brace-faced, and on varying sides of their growth spurts.

We’re open to first-time actors because we’re looking for people who are unapologetically themselves. Our script will conform to the actors we cast - not the other way around. Compromising on our cast isn’t an option.

If done right our cast shouldn’t feel like actors but feel like documentary subjects that simply exist to live our story.

We’ve scoured the state, street cast at high school sporting events, and in addition to a vigorous email campaign we’ve found our two leads for Evan and Cole. Two incredibly honest, skilled, and special people who have already elevated the film.

Director’s Statement

Meet the Team

Aussie born, now Los Angeles based. Dan Lesser loves telling stories with themes of identity, self- love, and growing up. Dan has created films that have been screened across the world from Sydney, to London, to the Chinese theater on Hollywood Boulevard, to massive billboards in Times Square, NYC. His films have gained acceptance to festivals such as the Oscar Qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival winning him the VORTEX DIRECTORIAL DISCOVERY GRAND PRIZE. Dan has also directed countless music videos, commercials, and branded documentaries for brands such as Fujifilm and Duke Energy.

Michael is a passionate film producer with experience delivering high-quality projects. They possess a deep understanding of production and know what it takes to bring an idea from concept to fruition. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, communication and creating an encouraging atmosphere; Michael is dedicated to creating impactful images that dazzle across the silver screen.

As the visionary founder of West Productions, Chadwick's journey began with a simple yet profound desire: to gather around a metaphorical campfire and share the stories that define us, ignite our passions, and illuminate our dreams for the future. Through West Productions, Chadwick collaborates with a dynamic team of creatives, weaving together the threads of emotion, imagination, and authenticity to bring brands and companies to life in the most compelling and human-centric ways.

Hayley Stablow is an editor with an eye for performance. She’s worked with director Dan Lesser on four other films and can’t wait to work on One Twenty-Six. Hayley also works as an assistant editor known for her work on notable films such as "Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver" (2024), "Monkey Man" (2024), and "Ferrari" (2023). Stablow loves to find the human moments and let them shine through in the edit, building a reputation in the film industry for her keen eye and editing expertise.

Currently a casting assistant at a major television studio, Kim previously graduated from Chapman University's Creative Producing program and has worked in talent representation, unscripted casting, and interned in independent casting and scripted development. She has cast over 10 short films, and produced over 10 short films, one feature-length film, one music video, and explored various other roles on student film, commercial, and independent film sets. Also passionate about youth, Kim minored in education, is a volunteer tutor, and recently volunteered with Young Storytellers.

Vito Lyles is a film producer with six years of industry experience, specializing in commercials, music videos, narratives, and television productions. With multiple awards under his belt, Vito's passion for filmmaking is evident in every project he undertakes. Continuously pushing boundaries and challenging conventions, Vito's work resonates deeply with audiences worldwide.

Sam Davis is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker with a foundation in cinematography. After graduating from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, he produced, shot, and edited the Oscar-winning Netflix short PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. Since then, his films have gone on to screen and win awards at Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW.
In 2023, Sam was nominated for an Emmy for his cinematography work on the SXSW-winning New York Times Op-Doc Long Line of Ladies, which he also produced. He later produced and shot the short doc NĂI NAI & WÀI PÓ, directed by Sean Wang, which sold to Disney+ and was nominated for an Academy Award.

My name is Blake and I am a Production Designer and Interdisciplinary Artist based in Los Angeles. I have a fierce passion for art-making, storytelling, and decoration. What I love so deeply about art and design is its an ever-changing playground which breathes new life to the phrase, "work hard, play hard". While I see my creative endeavors as serious, meaningful pursuits - I also try to bring an element of curiosity, play, and joy to each project I take on. It is precisely this quality about my work that makes my life so fulfilling, never mundane, and always urgent. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Why Donate?

With your donation and support, we’ll get one step closer to getting this film off the ground and bringing it to life. Below, we’ve created a chart that shows where our budget will be allocated towards. We’ve also broken down where each percentage will specifically be going towards in each category below!

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS

We’ve partnered with Creative Visions, One Twenty-Six is fiscally sponsored by Creative Visions, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports creative activists, those that use the arts and media to ignite social change.

Meaning your donations are 100% tax deductible.