About this project

Thank you so much to all our amazing backers! You've taken Deadline to your hearts and your generosity will allow us to take the Deadline Premiere Tour to many more cities.

We're also getting a fantastic response from the newspaper industry with new major newspapers coming on board to host Deadline Premieres in their cities. As a result, we hope we can keep up the momentum here on Kickstarter, since the more we raise, the more cities we can add to the premiere tour and the more hearts we can touch with Deadline. Because one of the amazing things about Kickstarter is that the pledges keep coming in faster and faster. Each day this week we've raised more than the day before. 

So keep spreading the word about Deadline and thank you, thank you, thank you!

Deadline is the new movie from director Curt Hahn (No Regrets). Inspired by a true story, Deadline stars Steve Talley and Oscar nominee Eric Roberts as reporters investigating the murder of an African American youth in rural Alabama that has gone uninvestigated, unsolved and unpunished for almost twenty years. Deadline is a story of murder, family, race, and of redemption.

“Deadline is an important, terrific movie, with the kind of compelling story and fascinating characters that made The Help so engaging. Beautifully acted and directed.” 

~ Dr. Linda Seger, Script Consultant on over 2,000 scripts and author of Making a Good Script Great

Deadline is complete and will be released in theaters across America beginning in February. Here’s why we need your help. The studios spend tens of millions promoting their new movies with TV campaigns. Since we can’t afford that, we’ve had to focus on the kind of grassroots and guerilla marketing ideas that rely more on creativity and hard work than money.

So we’re having a series of Deadline Benefit Premieres hosted by newspapers across the country. Premieres are a great way to generate awareness and excitement, but they often only happen in L.A. or New York. We’re using a tour bus to go from city to city having lots of Deadline Benefit Premieres. Then, a few days after each premiere, Deadline will open in a number of theaters in each Premiere city. This will cost a fraction of a studio release, but will hopefully – with the support of our newspaper hosts – generate great awareness in our Deadline Premiere cities while raising money for local non-profits in the process. Then, once the Premiere Tour is over we’ll open Deadline in theaters across the rest of the country.

“I loved Deadline. It touched my heart. No, it touched my soul.”

~ Mike Pandey, Filmmaker and Chair of the steering committee for the International Film Festival of India

So here’s where you come in. We’re asking for your support through pre-ordering Deadline tickets and DVDs to raise money to take our Deadline Premiere Tour to as many cities as possible. We've set our goal at $10,000, which will allow us to add several more cities to our premiere tour, but we really hope to raise more. We already have enough money from our investors to take the Premiere Tour to at least twenty cities, but with your help we hope to have Deadline Premieres in thirty or forty or even more.

“I cannot wait to see Deadline again. It's been so much on my mind since the screening that I am hungry to see, hear, learn more about it. It's a wonderful movie, full of great stories and beautifully executed.”

~ Hank Klibanoff, Pulitzer Prize winner, Professor of Journalism, Emory University, Managing Editor, The Civil Rights Cold Case Project

Please watch our video and help us get the word out about Deadline, both by being part of our Kickstarter campaign and by forwarding this page to your friends and family. Every contribution is important and appreciated, whatever the amount. 

Thank you for your support! We hope to see you at a Deadline Premiere!

FAQs: 

What can you tell me about the kind of movie Deadline is?

When we did our test screenings one of the things we asked in our questionnaire was, 'Does Deadline remind you of any other movies?' The number one answer was To Kill a Mockingbird, followed closely by A Time to Kill and The Help. Deadline isn't as violent as A Time to Kill, (Deadline is rated PG-13 due to some mature thematic material) but we're incredibly honored to have called to mind such wonderful, important movies.

When will you finalize the list of Deadline Premiere Cities?

We’ll be adding Premiere Cities right up until February based on how much money we’re able to raise, how many supporters we have in a particular city and the level of support we receive from the local media. Most of our Premieres will be hosted by the local daily newspaper. If you work for a major newspaper or know someone who does, tell them to check out the trailer and email us at premieres@DeadlineFilm.com to learn more about hosting a Deadline Premiere. And check out our highest level of support, where you can personally co-host a Deadline Premiere in your city.

When will Deadline be released in theaters?

Deadline will have its World Premiere at the Regal Green Hills 16 in Nashville on February 15th, hosted by The Tennessean. (Tickets to the World Premiere are now on sale at www.deadlinefilm.com/nashville.) Two days later Deadline will open in theaters across middle Tennessee. Our second Premiere will be February 21st at the Regal Phillips Place 10 in Charlotte hosted by The Charlotte Observer, and three days after that Deadline will open in theaters across the greater Charlotte area. We'll be going from city to city on our Deadline tour bus, having one Premiere after another throughout February, March and into April. After each Premiere Deadline will open in theaters in each Premiere city. At the end of the tour Deadline will open across the rest of the country.

Can I use the pre-bought ticket I receive with my $10 pledge at one of the Deadline Premieres?

No. The Premieres are all benefits for local non-profits. The non-profits set the ticket prices in each city. (In Nashville the beneficiary of the Premiere is Family & Children's Service and Premiere tickets cost $25. You may also pay higher amounts for your Nashville World Premiere tickets and be listed as a sponsor. Tickets to the World Premiere are now on sale at www.deadlinefilm.com/nashville.) The pre-bought ticket you get with your $10 Kickstarter pledge is good for any screening at any theater playing Deadline during its regular theatrical release.

When will the DVD come out? How do I pre-order a copy?

The Deadline DVD will be  released in the U.S. and Canada this spring. If you pledge $25 or more you get a copy of the Deadline DVD as part of your rewards package. We'll email you a receipt with a voucher you can redeem for your copy of the DVD. And now we've added the option of pre-ordering the Deadline Blu-ray as part of the new $35 rewards package.

If I contribute $100 or more can I choose to not have my name in the credits?

Absolutely. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, you have that option. You also have the option of making your contribution in someone else's name and having us put their name in the credits. What a great Holiday gift idea for the person who has everything – their name in the credits of a movie that speaks up for the down-trodden and shows that ultimately justice and redemption are possible in this life.

How can I learn more about Deadline and keep up with the latest developments, including when Deadline will be released in my area?

The best way is to become a supporter here at Kickstarter, with a contribution of as little as a dollar. Or you can go to DeadlineFilm.com and sign up for our email list. We're also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/deadlinefilm.

Why did you pick January 8 as the end date of this Kickstarter campaign?

Because it's my daughter's 13th birthday. Amelia has a small part in Deadline (she plays what I call the 'Scout' role) and I hope wrapping the campaign on her birthday will bring us good luck.

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