The Concept

‘The Planters’ pushes the boundaries on how a feature film can be made.  There is no crew whatsoever. The two filmmakers are doing everything: directing, acting, cinematography, production design, costume design and sound.

The Story

“The Planters” is a dark comedy set in a small, desert town. It’s a lonely place for lonely people like Martha Plant, a young reclusive woman, who spends her days telemarketing and "planting." As a "planter," Martha buries stolen items in the desert and receives donations in return from whoever digs them up - the "receiver." Martha finds her world turned upside down when another woman, Sadie Mayflower, literally runs into her while on one of her "planting" excursions. When she discovers that Sadie is homeless, Martha takes her in. She quickly learns that Sadie has multiple personalities, and the ever solitary Martha begins to find three friends in one. When Martha begins receiving donations along with cryptic, perverted letters from a mystery receiver, she enlists Sadie on a mission to discover who it is. Martha is crushed when she begins to suspect that the mystery receiver is one of her most faithful telemarketing customers, Richard Cox. Having developed feelings for him she sees this as a betrayal and prepares to take extreme measures to put an end to his time as her receiver.

The Filmmakers: Hannah Leder and Alexandra Kotcheff

Hannah and Alexandra met at the tender age of 8. Their first venture together was the light bulb project in third grade. While Hannah and Alexandra may or may not remember how to circuit a light bulb, this union was a spiritually lucrative experience and no one was harmed. Their collaboration continued when Hannah directed her first film at 12 years old which starred Alexandra as a suicidal pre-teen. Though dramedy was not their intention, they were well on their way. They have since collaborated on many projects together, honing their skills as a writing/directing team. Follow their progress on Instagram and Twitter @cinemawomyn