directed by Greg Takoudes
The Jonestown Defense.
The Jonestown Defense is a new American feature film about Christopher Waite, a businessman struggling with both a collapsed economy and a personal life in freefall. In the span of one hot Florida weekend, Christopher is forced to face the destruction of his marriage, the potential loss of his child, and the onerous task of firing the employees at the tech company he manages. The Jonestown Defense tells the gripping story of how professional corruption and personal narcissism nearly destroy a man who thinks he’s fighting for financial survival but discovers that what is truly at risk is his soul.
The characters, dialog and dramatic arc of The Jonestown Defense were organically created in an actors’ workshop in NYC, and later on the location shoot itself. Production spanned the course of more than two intense weeks of filming in and around Sarasota locales. The scenes were shot in a largely improvisational style, with points of view and emotional beats changing and evolving as the actors pushed themselves into personal narrative territory while remaining true to the authentic reality of the film’s characters. Raw, free form, and improvised though it may be, The Jonestown Defense is nevertheless anchored by solid filmmaking and seasoned craftwork.
