Inspired by the paranoid nail-biters of the '70s and set against the foggy skies and twisty streets of San Francisco, AMERICANA is a tense thriller about facing the consequences of an ugly past. Following a festival run that included being nominated to the "New American Cinema Competition" at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival and capturing the "Best Feature Film Award at the 2016 Lower East Side Film Festival, Zachary Shedd's feature-length debut, called "tantalizing " by the Moveable Fest and "a superbly confident throwback " by Anthem Magazine will be released on March 28, 2017 to DVD ($14.99) and Digital HD courtesy of Candy Factory Films.
Two years after alcoholism and depression drove Avery Wells (David Call, Two Gates of Sleep, Tiny Furniture) from his home and career, the San Francisco film editor finds himself back in the city, sobered up and coerced into finishing a cut of a new film - Americana . Avery relents and takes the job due to his connection to the film's star -- his sister Kate (Kelli Garner, Lars and the Real Girl, The Aviator ) -- and the convincing of the film's producer, Calib Andrews (Jack Davenport, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kingsmen: The Secret Service ). Like Avery, the cut is a mess, but the talented editor can salvage it, all while staying clean and reconnecting with his family. Soon, though, he starts receiving menacing calls from a stranger threatening to reveal his darkest secrets - threats impossible to ignore when his sister is murdered. Grief and shame set in as Avery's suspicion of conspiracy grows and he falls off the wagon. Was her death related to the new film? Or was she killed because of mistakes made in the past? As Avery's abusive behavior continues, he dips deeper into paranoia- spurred on by his lawyer Ben (Peter Coyote, Erin Brockovich ) and brother-in-law Josh (Frank Mosley, Upstream Color ) - and only more questions are raised.