Private Project

La Planchada

In the 1970s, Mexican immigrants were subjected to sadistic experiments at hospitals along the US border. Today, the men who committed those heinous acts live with their guilt, waiting for the ghosts of their past to return.

  • Michael Snyder
    Director
  • Michael Snyder
    Writer
  • Cobey Cobb
    Producer
  • Joey Stotts
    Key Cast
    "Benny"
  • Kerstin Porter
    Key Cast
    "La Planchada "
  • Cobey Cobb
    Editor
  • Matt Fore
    Director of Photography
  • Brittany Fontaine
    Character Makeup Designed By: "La Planchada", SFX Makeup Artist
  • Aaron Mendelsohn
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 13, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Michael Snyder

Founder of Crash Films INC, Michael first entered Hollywood with his spec screenplay The Mouse Who Would Be King, chronicling the origins of Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. Using this calling card script as a sample, Michael began developing a TV series based on FX Toole's short stories with Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers. Michael, along with his wife Rachel Stotts, optioned John Hargrove's New York Times Bestseller Beneath The Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish which Michael adapted into a screenplay. Michael has also written and produced multiple short films, two of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2019 Michael scripted Save The Children's 100 Year Gala which was produced by Joe Roth and included speeches from Oprah Winfrey and Robert Iger.

Michael has developed and written two feature scripts with Roth/Kirschenbaum Films and is currently developing projects to direct.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

LA PLANCHADA started as a spec screenplay I wrote a couple of years back. After getting positive feedback on the script, I teamed up with Producer/Editor Cobey Cobb and assembled a crew of like-minded filmmakers.

Influenced heavily by John Carpenter, we limited ourselves to a budget of $5,000 and a shooting schedule of one day. We're extremely proud of the results and believe this short works both as it's own narrative piece and a pitch for the larger project.