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Feature Films

Dust to Glory - IFC Films Release

A follow up project right on the heels of Step Into Liquid, Dust to Glory was an adventure unlike anything I've ever been a part of. As executive producer, I helped finance, market, and distribute the film for a successful release through IFC.

An all out action-adventure movie documenting the most notorious and dangerous off-road race in the world, the Baja 1000.

About the project

"Dust to Glory" was an intense undertaking as a filmmaker - again working with director Dana Brown, and co-producers Scott Waugh, and Mouse McCoy. The dream and ambition for this film was massive - cover a race over 1,000 miles of desert terrain in 32 hours.

  • Premiered globally and distributed by IFC Films
  • Celebrated for its cinematic photography and intense subject matter
  • Contributed across financing, production, editorial, and distribution
Dust to Glory - IFC Films Release key art

Major motion picture approach to a niche genre

Working with an amazing crew for cinematography, music/sound design, camera and sound operators, fellow producers, and sound mixers who all believed in the story made for a surreal experience that was palpable on and off screen.

The Challenge

  • Financing an independent film with a new production company
  • Balancing storytelling in extreme conditions with high-quality production values
  • Coordinating production across 1,000 miles in extreme conditions
  • Delivering a cinematic narrative from raw, real footage and otherwise disconnected stories
  • Getting Hollywood to pay attention to an off-road racing documentary

The Goals

  • Capture the intensely human stories behind the horsepower
  • Make audiences feel immersed in the desert and powerful vehicles
  • Inspire awe without using CGI or any special effects
  • Create a timeless experience that resonates beyond racing culture
  • Win theatrical distribution
+90 Cameras spread across over 1,000 miles of rugged off-road terrain
+$5m Cumulative gross for worldwide theatrical and home video receipts.
+4 Helicopters providing bird's eye view of the action in extremely remote locations across the Baja peninsula.
Newport Beach Film Festival WINNER Audience Award for Best Documentary
DVD Exclusive Awards NOMINATED Best Original Retrospective Documentary
Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Awards NOMINATED Movie of the Year

Reviews

Dust to Glory is exciting and often hauntingly beautiful....
James Verniere James Verniere The Boston Herald

Screenshots & Moments

Capturing the power, beauty, and chaos of the Baja 1000 - frames frozen in time that pulse with motion and grit.

Mario Andretti's 1st Baja Ride
Mario Andretti's 1st Baja Ride
Casualties of the Desert Night
Casualties of the Desert Night
Solo Quest for Glory
Solo Quest for Glory

Dust to Glory captured the imagination of casual observers and enthusiasts young and old alike to become a cult classic in the world of off-road racing.

Some wouldn't make it, others risk and lose everything. Some would make history and prove something to themselves greater than they could imagine.