Through a talented and diverse cast and crew, our story showcases the beauty of growing up in a cultural melting-pot and the common hardships of paying for college, finding independence, maturing and developing a moral compass, and discovering one's place in this world through the American struggle.

Why this movie? Why now?

“The Cold Days of Summer breaks cultural barriers and provides insight on what financial situations look like for Millennials while demonstrating the sociology of sport and an intersectionality of environmental risks that Vince faces.” -Joseph Stray

The Cold Days of Summer feels real because it is real. Like all good stories, our film is inspired by true events, real struggles, and terrible decisions made by destitute people who felt they had no other choice. Our film showcases an incredibly diverse cast (and crew) of strong women and men from a great multitude of ethnic backgrounds, all from Utica, New York, and surrounding areas.

We're here to tell the story of our Hometown Heroes, and Anti-heroes. Because often times in Utica, they're one in the same.





Growing up without a father is hard, thankfully, Vincent Patella was raised by a strong, independent mother and a retired pugilist grandfather, Alexander "The Great" Patella, who taught him about life, responsibility, and boxing. Continuing in his family legacy, Vincent uses boxing to get out of poverty and into a prestigious school, where he reaches new heights where his predecessors fell short. Unfortunately, Alex passes just before he can realize his dreams for his grandson.

This fuels Vinces aggression in the ring, and his brutal style, and cocky swagger are far removed from the airs of his authoritarian athletic school board, who use an injury Vince sustains in the ring as a means to revoke his scholarship. Willing to do anything possible to pay for his pricey school tuition, Vince turns to robbing from entitled rich kids with his childhood friends Ronnie and Charlie. But once summer arrives and the affluent students return home to high society, the trio begins taking on bigger risks to pay the price tag of their higher education.

STYLE

The Cold Days of Summer is a drama with almost unbearable gravity and pathos. The story of a man who suspends ethics and sacrifices himself for the sake of his goals and family, only to have it all backfire with Grecian tragedy. The story can only spring from superlative performance, measured pace and the contrast of peace versus violence. The beautifully austere homestead that nestles in the New York State landscape contrasts with the high paced city bump and hustle. The family nurturing juxtaposing the divide and rule of the New York crime. Two diametrically opposed worlds are brought together and separated by the flesh of one humble man.

The Calvary isn't coming

Whilst charged as a strong contender for festivals, The Cold Days of Summer is a prime cut for video on demand (VOD) success with services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, etc. There's a great deal to be said about these services, the digital age has changed the game for distribution. Not only are filmmakers finding incredible monetary returns in VOD services, they are reaching massive audiences right in their homes who often simply can't find time or energy to get to the theater.

Think about it, we've all been a part of that conversation, "I saw this great movie on Netflix last night. I never heard of it, but it starred that one guy from that one thing."

Contributing to The Cold Days of Summer means investing in a company whose sole objective is to produce and maximize the profit of a single feature film. That being said, we are not simply asking for money, we want you to contribute with us to create something great that we can all be proud of.

With The Cold Days of Summer, we are working together!

So, what are you gonna do with my money?

Too often, we are asked to donate to a big project, and much like our taxes, we have no idea what that money is being spent on.

At this stage, we are essentially raising funds to show producers, studios, and private equity investors that there actually is an audience that wants to see this movie. Like in many forms of business, it often takes money to make money. By showing we already have an initial investment and a percentage of the film's production budget, we demonstrate a desire from the public and confidence in the project and its crew to create something worthwhile.

If investors see that others have already contributed, they are more comfortable to contribute as well. So, whilst this money will eventually be applied toward our total production budget, for now, our goal is to use the success we obtain from completing our goals and participating in the Hometown Heroes rally on Seed&Spark as bait to land the big fish that we need to complete the project.

THE SCRIPT

Enamored by the rich culture, history, and character of Upstate New York, writer/director, Michael Flores was truly inspired to create and develop stories depicting the joys and struggles of the all-too-often forgotten and ignored New Yorker in upstate.

THE WORKFLOW

Independent film making has enjoyed a technological revolution in the last decade. Digital cinematography and the associated postproduction has given rise to films like Winter’s Bone, Monsters, and District 9, these films would not exist if it were not for new digital cameras and their fast and inexpensive post-production workflows.

Using a top of the line digital workflow allows “The Cold Days of Summer” to concentrate on the performance and drama, rather than eating time and money with a slower traditional film - based production.

MARKET

The picture crosses over to a number of discreet audiences. Primarily conceived as a

highly charged festival piece, showcasing performance talent, there is enough intrigue,

peril and testosterone to satisfy mainstream viewers drawn to such movies as

“Deliverance” ($46 million return), “Reservoir Dogs” ($19 million return) and more recently

“A Winter’s Bone.” ($14 million return).