| Raising Buchanan | |
| Director: | Bruce Dellis |
| Cinematography: | Bret Kalmbach |
| Music: | Steve Francois |
| Studio: | Cheese Board Productions |
| Runtime: | 96 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Raising Buchanan is a 2019 American comedy film produced by Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Chadwick Struck and Cathy Shim, written and directed by Bruce Dellis. The film stars René Auberjonois in the role of the title character, James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, and was his final role released in his lifetime. He died in December 2019. The film was Bruce Dellis' first full-length feature. Raising Buchanan was filmed in and near Phoenix, Arizona.
Ruth Kiesling is a 39-year-old woman with anger issues and a history of making poor decisions. Ruth sees an opportunity to turn her life around by stealing the body of a dead president to hold for ransom. However, she quickly learns that no one is particularly interested in getting him back.
Dellis shot the film on location in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Prescott and Paradise Valley, Arizona.[1] [2] He used an Arizona-based crew and nearly all of the actors were based in Arizona, with the exception of some key talent.
Originally, actor/comedian Andy Dick was slated to play the part of Lancaster Guy, but performance issues and allegations of sexual improprieties caused his firing the day after his scene was shot.[3] The scene was subsequently re-shot using Robert Ben Garant in the role of Lancaster Guy.
Several songs on the soundtrack concern mining disasters.[4]
| List of Accolades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
| 2019 Phoenix Film Festival | Best Arizona Feature Film | Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Bruce Dellis | [5] | |
| Filmmaker of the Year | Joe Gruberman | |||
| 2019 Manhattan Film Festival | Best Dramedy | Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Bruce Dellis | [6] | |
| 2019 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards | Talent-Performer or Narrator (trailer) | Amanda Melby | [7] | |
| Writer-Short Form (trailer) | Bruce Dellis | |||
| 2020 Garden State Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | René Auberjonois | ||
| 2020 WorldFest Houston Int'l Film Festival | Best Feature Film-Comedy (Special Jury Award) | Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Bruce Dellis | [8] | |
| Best Actress | Amanda Melby | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Cathy Shim | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | René Auberjonois | |||
| Best Editor | Bruce Dellis | |||