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The Iron Orchard

The year is 1939. Europe prepares for war, while the United States slowly overcomes the trauma of the Great Depression. Young and ambitious, Jim McNeely arrives in Texas – a state gushing with oil and filled with the bodies and broken minds of men who once dreamt of riches. Jim has something to prove to all the parents of pretty girls who refuse to let their daughters marry boys from lower classes. His Texan adventure initially consists of blood, sweat, and tears in addition to long working hours in scorching sun and cold nights being insulted by fellow workers. But Jim seems to have what it takes to get to the top of the oil chain and conquer this brave new world of tough, relentless men and beautiful women who will do everything in their power not to become merely trophy wives. On his way up, Jim meets a wide variety of people – including at least several types of righteous men, eccentrics, and scumbags – who came to this unwelcoming land, tarnished with unfulfilled plans and dreams, for the same thing he did.

  • Ty Roberts
    Director
  • Gerry DeLeon
    Writer
    Opening Night
  • Houston Hill
    Producer
    Virgin Alexander, Mercury Plains
  • Camille Chambers
    Producer
    The Big Spoon
  • George Sledge
    Producer
    Everybody Wants Some!!, Bernie
  • Lane Garrison
    Key Cast
    "Jim McNeely"
    Prison Break, Shooter, Prison Break
  • Austin Nichols
    Key Cast
    "Dent Paxton"
    Walking Dead, Glory Road, The Day After Tomorrow
  • Ali Cobrin
    Key Cast
    "Lee Montgomery"
    American Reunion, Neighbors
  • Lew Temple
    Key Cast
    "Ort Cooley"
    The Devil's Rejects, Unstoppable
  • Temple Baker
    Key Cast
    "Pluto"
    Everybody Wants Some
  • Allan McLeod
    Key Cast
    "Barry Wakely"
    You're The Worst
  • Mathieu Plainfossé
    Director of Photography
  • Duncan Thume
    Composer
    Chef's Table
  • Damien Van Der Cryussen
    Colorist
    The Beguiled
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Historical, Gay, Romance
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 52 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 23, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    1,600,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa Mini Panavision Anamorphic
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Austin Film Festival
    Austin
    United States
    October 27, 2018
    Austin Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Camerimage
    Bydgoszcz
    Poland
    November 12, 2018
    Polish Premiere
    Nominated Debut Director & Debut Cinematographer
  • Madrid International Film Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    July 21, 2018
    Spanish Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Chichester International Film Festival
    Sussex
    United Kingdom
    August 23, 2018
    UK Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Salento International Film Festival
    Tricase
    Italy
    September 1, 2018
    Southern Italian Premiere
    Opening Night
  • Dallas International Film Festival
    Dallas, Texas
    United States
    May 5, 2018
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Santorini Film Festival
    Santorini
    Greece
    June 20, 2018
    Greek Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Ty Roberts

A tried and true Texas filmmaker Ty’s work has been produced and seen around the globe. Ty studied under Werner Herzog at the Rogue Film School and previously graduated from the University of Texas. Over a 15 year period Ty worked in the film business in Argentina and Mexico. Returning home to Austin in 2011 Ty co-founded the concert film production company, TourGigs where he has directed dozens of shows for bands like The Head and The Heart, The Strokes, The Avett Brothers, John Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, My Morning Jacket, Ryan Bingham, Janes Addiction and Alabama Shakes. Ty also directed various short films — Sobre la Estepa & Luz del Mundo — that have shown at festivals including the Cannes Short Film Corner, Guadalajara, Lucerne, Guanajuato and the Cartagena Film Festivals. In Argentina Ty worked as a producer for Walt Disney Studios developing Magical Patagonia for the Disney Nature division. He also produced the award winning documentary The Path of the Condor narrated by Viggo Mortensen which sold to Discovery Networks. Ty has produced and/or directed various non-scripted television shows for VH1, CMT, ESPN, The Outdoor Channel and ABC. In 2016 Ty directed his first feature film, This Side of the Dirt adapted from a play written by Tito Beveridge will premiere at the Sonoma Film Festival. Having grown up in Midland, Texas, Ty’s familiarity with the setting and characters in “The Iron Orchard” will help steer the effort to make as authentic a film as possible.

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Director Statement

A good Texas story is hard to beat. Classics like “Giant”, ”Paris, TX” and more recently, “No Country for Old Men” follow solitary characters as they pass through vast, mysterious landscapes. These extraordinary films reflect a mythic side of Texas that has marked cinema forever. Oil has played a significant role in the myth of Texas. Few industries can turn a roustabout into a millionaire overnight and the number of men who have died trying is staggering. Easy money does strange things to people.

I grew up around the oil business. My father was an independent landman who exposed me to some of the wildest characters I have ever known. Even though the eccentric oilman was prime fodder for a movie it wasn’t until I read “The Iron Orchard” that I found a story with universal appeal and the potential to actually get made. Told through the eyes of a young roustabout “The Iron Orchard” swept me into the oilfields to witness his triumph and defeat in both love and prosperity.

The story opens on a West Texas highway as a 1939 Mercedes runabout races past our protagonist, Jim McNeely, toward a modern, safer world — Jim’s world. His journey into the unknown, a violent place full of vulgar men, is just about to begin. Imagining Jim standing on that desolate road was like retracing a piece of my own past and reconnecting with the fears that many young men face when striking out on their own. Upon reading that first paragraph of the novel I knew this was a story that had to be told and that a larger audience would find Jim’s story as intriguing as I did.

At its core “The Iron Orchard” is a story about love and desire. Jim is torn between his past and present; two worlds juxtaposed by a rural and modern landscape and mindset. Each of the women Jim loves also represent this disparity. Although the oil patch defines Jim as a man, his ultimate prize — the girl he swore to win back — awaits him at home, a town where he was always viewed as an outsider.

A visual shift occurs in Fort Worth where a sophisticated world of mansions and private clubs enhance the color palate through rich, deep tones. Fluid, precise camera movements follow Jim as his stature becomes more refined. As the exuberance builds, Jim’s excess catches up to him and his volatile behavior culminates into a series of wrong decisions and intensely paced scenes that change him forever.

Despite the intense characters and merciless backdrop “The Iron Orchard” is a contemplative study of a man caught between love and ambition and his search for happiness in a cruel and competitive world. These paramount struggles are as pertinent today as ever. Not only for Jim McNeely but for us all.