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Big Trouble in Little Quartzsite
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Check out the director’s cut of the film, along with dozens of extras, outtakes and deleted scenes by clicking the button below.
Our director, Cyle O’Donnell, on stage after winning Best Director at the True Crime Film Festival in Atlanta, GA..
What People are Saying
“Sundance-worthy!! This is the film America needs to see right now!” — Erin Cameron, Creative Director, AT&T
“What happened in Quartzsite is a neon flashing example of what happens when there isn’t oversite. This is not even near over!”
— freedomsphoenix.com
“A brilliantly thought provoking film that opens with a murder plot and builds to a crescendo of civil rights violations in forgotten America.” — Chantelle Wilson, Lady Justice Podcast
“This film will stand as a reminder that just as ‘hot goes to cold,’ unchecked power always goes to the dark side. Its timing couldn’t be better to reveal that the People have always had the power to defeat corruption.” — Barry Hess, Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party
“Cyle takes the viewer on a journey with ‘Big Trouble in Little Quartzsite’ ranging from wacky local political discourse to literal murder mystery. Fans of anything from ‘Parks and Rec’ to ‘The Good the Bad and the Ugly’ to ‘Sherlock Holmes’ will find something in this documentary film for them.” — Ford Fischer, Filmmaker, Editor-in-Chief, News2Share
Logline
Millions in missing tax revenue, murder plots between politicians, a corrupt council using the chief to silence dissenters – the constitutional crisis that befell this tiny, American town was defeated by the founding principles that once united us: knowing our rights and demanding open government. Quartzsite, Arizona, offers a cautionary tale of unchecked power, and the strength of the American Spirit that inspired a few dissenters, armed with the power of the press, to uproot decades of corruption.
This is a story that could heal a nation in turmoil.
Synopsis
When a town spends its first three decades trudging through corruption, embezzlement, false arrests and gag campaigns, and finally arrives in a place and time where order is kept and civil rights are affirmed, Quartzite’s story is an anthem to the American way.
Just ten years after the conviction of its mayor on murder conspiracy charges, millions of dollars in city revenue is missing. Any residents who ask questions are falsely jailed by the police chief on the orders of Town Hall, forcing the story onto the pages of Orwellian prophecy. A sergeant loyal to his oath, and a new mayor pushing for answers, fight independently but for the same goal – to uncover the truth. The cops mutiny the chief and are fired for speaking out. Under armed guard, the council holds a closed-door meeting to oust the mayor, declare Martial Law, and turn over complete power to the chief who’s busy jailing local newspaper reporters to cover up allegations of drug cartel extortion.
The residents sue, the mayor pleads for state assistance, and activists are arrested at council meetings for decrying unjust taxes and unconstitutional statutes. In the midst of chaos, the outcry reaches America’s media and attracts an armed march on Town Hall, made even more raucous by the presence of the Oath Keepers. And when the dust settles, the residents are left to pick up the pieces of an embattled town. But what happened to the money?
With a nation still wrenching in turmoil from corruption and scandal that climbs all the way to the top, this town’s short but fiery history sets the stage for a modern day western as incendiary as the setting sun, illuminating the dark underbelly of dirty politics, unchecked power and out of control policing.
For the last two years, the crew from Legally Insane Films has followed this story, and the story of mayors, council members, attorneys, judges, cops, and others who say they’ve been targeted as well. We’ve gathered hundreds of court documents, audio and video surveillance, body-camera footage, archival news and radio bytes, piled through thousands of newspaper articles and interviewed nearly 70 witnesses across 11 Arizona towns.
It’s a big story that takes lots of turns and spans 30 years. Legally Insane Films, LLC., holds the story rights to what we hope will turn out to be a catalog of media that emerges from this long and detailed battle that has “more conspiracies than popcorn at the circus,” as Dennis Wagner, reporter for the Arizona Republic, admitted during his interview. We’re hard at work writing a book, and have already released the first eight episodes to the podcast (available below), and we hope to make a four- to six-part miniseries from the mass of content we couldn’t squeeze into the feature!
Support us by watching the film, and help us turn the feature film into a four-part documentary series focusing on the pattern of corruption and embezzlement that has been happening all the way up to the top levels of government!
Help us tell an exceptional story that needs to be told. It is likely happening in your community. Contact us if you have a story of county, municipality, state or federal tax theft, and tell us your story. Collaborate with us: we need producers, editors, film crews on the road, and most especially, researchers!
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