A Feature Film  ·  Now Financing

The
Vintner's
Tale

A prestige independent film about family, legacy, and the land that holds us together.

Directed byArliss Howard
StarringDebra Winger
ProductionTrue Indy
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Three quarrelsome siblings take a trip up to the Finger Lakes to settle their uncle Dimitri’s vineyard estate, where they discover a mysterious past that draws their mother and the family back together with Dimitri.

Logline  ·  Feature Narrative  ·  Finger Lakes, New York
The Story

Where old roots
find new life

Three quarrelsome adult siblings take a quick trip up from NYC to settle their old-world Russian uncle Dimitri’s Finger Lakes vineyard estate, where they find themselves in a magical place, their ancient familial connections resurfacing in unexpected ways.

The family begins to work together with Dimitri, whose dreams of reuniting with their mother are finally realized when a resistant Helen joins the family and a long buried relationship with Dimitri is finally realized.

GenreDrama / Comedy
FormatFeature Narrative Film
SettingFinger Lakes Region, New York
Written byJeff Ureles & Jerry Stoeffhaas
Produced byGed Dickersin & Paul Hamill
Production Co.True Indy
The Filmmakers

A team forged
from decades of craft

Arliss Howard, Director
Director
Arliss Howard

A distinguished actor and director who has collaborated with Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket), Steven Spielberg (The Lost World), David Fincher (Mank, The Killer), and Bennett Miller (Moneyball). As a director, Howard’s feature Big Bad Love was nominated for the SACD prize at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and distributed by IFC Films.

Debra Winger, Lead Performance
Lead Performance
Debra Winger

One of American cinema’s most celebrated actresses — three-time Academy Award nominee known for her fearless, deeply human performances across decades of remarkable work, including Urban Cowboy, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Terms of Endearment.

Producer
Ged Dickersin

With 40 years in independent film, producing or line producing over 35 feature films, including City Island, Tallulah, Nanny, She Came to Me, God of Tides, and three-time Academy Award winner CODA, Ged began as an intern on John Sayles’ Eight Men Out in 1986.

Producer
Paul Hamill

From theater lighting to major studio productions, Hamill’s credits include The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, and Cooper’s Maestro. He joined Ged Dickersin in early 2025 to develop independent films.

Writers
Jeff Ureles & Jerry Stoeffhaas

WGA East members since selling their first screenplay, Blood Lake. Their independent feature Cheap Shots — which they co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed — toured Sundance, London, Avignon, and more before a theatrical run through Hemdale Pictures. Longtime Upstate New York residents.

Casting Director
Patricia DiCerto

Patricia DiCerto has a long list of credits as a casting director in New York, known for Blue Jasmine (2013), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), and A Rainy Day in New York (2019).

Supporting the Film

Two ways to help bring
The Vintner's Tale to life

The Vintner's Tale has a total production budget of $5,800,000, financed through two distinct and complementary pathways. Whether you are an individual who believes in independent cinema, or an investor seeking a meaningful return, there is a place for you in this film.

01
Tax-Deductible Donations
$2,500,000

Through our fiscal sponsor, the Lower East Side Film Festival — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — individuals, families, foundations, and organizations can make fully tax-deductible contributions to the film. This is soft equity: non-recoupable support that directly enables production. Donations of any size are welcome, with credit listing and screen credit opportunities starting at $100.

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation →
02
Equity Investment
$3,300,000

Preferred equity positions are available to accredited investors at the Executive Producer level. Equity investors receive first-position recoupment, a 20% premium on investment, and a 50% share of net profits.

View Finance & Waterfall Projections →

For equity investment inquiries, please contact trueindyfilms@gmail.com. For donation questions, visit the LESFF fiscal sponsorship page.

Finance Plan

Finance & Waterfall
Projections

Equity Model Total Budget: $5,800,000
Source Type Amount % of Equity % of Budget Status Position
Executive ProducerPreferred Equity$2,500,00075.76%43.10%Unsecured1st, pro-rata, pari-passu
Co-ProducerPreferred Equity$500,00015.15%8.62%Unsecured1st, pro-rata, pari-passu
Associate ProducersPreferred Equity$300,0009.09%5.17%Unsecured1st, pro-rata, pari-passu
Equity Financier 4Preferred Equity—0.00%0.00%Unsecured1st, pro-rata, pari-passu
Fiscal SponsorshipSoft Equity$2,500,000—43.10%UnsecuredNon-recoupable
Tax Credit LoanSoft Equity———UnsecuredNon-recoupable
181 Investorsnon-Equity———UnsecuredNon-recoupable
Total Budget$5,800,000100.00%
Projected Profit Waterfall
Revenue Low Medium High
NY Tax Rebate Estimate (33% net rebate, based on 40% NY rebate on qualified costs) $1,914,000$1,914,000$1,914,000
North America Distribution (net of residuals, estimate) $1,250,000$2,500,000$5,000,000
Rest of World (net of withholding tax) $1,250,000$2,500,000$5,000,000
Total Estimated Income $4,414,000$6,914,000$11,914,000
Deductions
Domestic Sales Fee (7.50%) $143,550$143,550$143,550
Foreign Sales Fee (12.00%) $150,000$300,000$600,000
CAMA Fees (1%, capped at $80k) $44,140$80,000$80,000
Residuals (0.5% of foreign, ROW only) $6,250$12,500$25,000
Sales Expense $80,000$90,000$100,000
Total Deductions $423,940$626,050$948,550
Profit $3,990,060$6,287,950$10,965,450
Equity Recoupment
Equity Financier 1 — Executive Producer (75.76%) $2,500,000$2,500,000$2,500,000
Equity Financier 2 — Co-Producer (15.15%) $500,000$500,000$500,000
Equity Financier 3 — Associate Producers (9.09%) $300,000$300,000$300,000
Profit After Equity Recoupment $690,060$2,987,950$7,665,450
Premium on Investment (20% on total equity funding)
Equity Financier 1 — Executive Producer (75.76%) $500,000$500,000$500,000
Equity Financier 2 — Co-Producer (15.15%) $100,000$100,000$100,000
Equity Financier 3 — Associate Producers (9.09%) $60,000$60,000$60,000
Net After Premium Deductions $30,060$2,327,950$7,005,450
Net Profit $30,060$2,327,950$7,005,450
Equity Financier % Profit Share (50%)
Equity Financier 1 — Executive Producer (75.76%) $11,386$881,799$2,653,580
Equity Financier 2 — Co-Producer (15.15%) $2,277$176,360$530,716
Equity Financier 3 — Associate Producers (9.09%) $1,366$105,816$318,430
Equity Financier Total Return (Recoupment, Premium & Profit Share)
Equity Financier 1 — Executive Producer $3,011,386$3,881,799$5,653,580
Equity Financier 2 — Co-Producer $602,277$776,360$1,130,716
Equity Financier 3 — Associate Producers $361,366$465,816$678,430
Producer Net After Equity Recoupment, Premium & Profit Share (50%, shared by Producer & Talent Pool) $15,030$1,163,975$3,502,725

Projections are estimates only and do not constitute a guarantee of returns. Fiscal sponsor: Lower East Side Film Festival. For investor inquiries: trueindyfilms@gmail.com

Fundraising Progress

Every contribution
moves us forward

$262,823 .35 Raised to date
$2,500,000 Production Goal
10.51%
$2,237,176.65 remaining

Total reflects contributions received through fiscal sponsor the Lower East Side Film Festival as of May 2026. Updated periodically.

Market & Distribution

A film built for
the world stage

There is a world market for The Vintner's Tale — a story about a splintered family who reunites in reestablishing their family vineyard. Universal in its themes and prestige in its execution, the film is positioned for a meaningful international footprint.

Producer Ged Dickersin has a long track record of award-winning films at the world's major festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, and Toronto. The Vintner's Tale carries genuine potential for awards recognition at one or more of these festivals, which would significantly amplify its distribution value.

Dickersin continues to attend the world's leading film markets — the European Film Market in Berlin, the Cannes Marché du Film, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the American Film Market in Los Angeles — where he has built deep relationships with many of the top distributors and sales agents in independent film.

$150,000 of the production budget has been reserved for publicity and marketing the film to independent theaters, beginning in the Finger Lakes region where the story is set, and expanding to regional theaters in North America, building the audience and word-of-mouth that will add long-term value for further distribution throughout the world markets.

Marketing Budget $150,000 Reserved for theatrical distribution & audience development
Key Film Markets
  • European Film Market — Berlin
  • Cannes Marché du Film
  • Toronto International Film Festival
  • American Film Market — Los Angeles
Festival Track Record
  • Sundance Film Festival
  • Berlinale
  • Cannes Film Festival
  • Toronto International Film Festival
Production Updates

Follow the journey

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Behind-the-scenes dispatches coming soon

Check back here for news, photos, and updates as we bring The Vintner’s Tale to life.