Logline

When his teenage sister runs away, a young Indian man becomes an accidental hero as he races
against time to find her.
Short Synopsis
Runaway Dreamer
is based on the true story of an average, middle-class family living in Bhopal,
India. This is the story about a brothers life-altering journey, about a desperate father, about a
helpless mother, and above all, a teenage girl, who has had enough of her gender-biased society
and decides to take matters into her own hands by executing the perfect runaway plan.
An average, middle class Indian-family who live up to the specific societal expectations that
constitute the norm serves as the backdrop of
Runaway Dreamer
. In the sleepy, working-class
town of Bhopal, RIYA, runs away, thrusting her family head-on into a crisis. During the course of
the film, the family struggles with their own demons, but none more than Riyas older, apathetic
brother, APU. When the Singh family places the burden of bringing Riya home on the shoulders of
a reluctant Apu, he begins to explore her motivations in an effort to understand why she left in
the first place all while racing against time before shes lost in the crowded vortex of Mumbai.
Runaway Dreamer
is a heartfelt, powerful story that is genuine, intense, sweet, painful,
entertaining and above all, impactful. Although this takes place in India, this story transcends
cultures, classes, and religions. It highlights the injustices women around the world face,
regardless of social or economic status, by taking the viewer on a journey inside the heart of one
such girl.
Runaway Dreamer
will not only entertain but also speak out for those who feel they
have no voice.
Project Status
The script for
Runaway Dreamer
most recently advanced to the second round of the Sundance
International Screenwriters Lab. It has also received positive coverage and excellent feedback
from script evaluators.
With director and writer, Mragendra Singh attached, the project, has garnered interest from
American and Indian producers and distributors.
Runaway Dreamer
has two producers currently
on board, C.M. Landrus and Caitlin Kelly Singh. Additionally, Franco Sama, who specializes in
equity financing, is serving as executive producer for the film, providing access to sales agents
and distributors.
Indian actor, Anshuman Jha, is currently attached to play the lead role of Apu, and Vega Tamotia
is attached for the role of Riya.
Fiscal sponsorship has been acquired for the film through a company called From the Heart
Productions, a 501(c)3 non-profit that can make financial contributions to the film 100% tax
deductible.

What We Are Looking For

The budget for
Runaway Dreamer
$500,000 USD. We are currently looking for development
funds between $30,000 and $50,000, as well as an Indian production company to come on as a
co-producer. We have potential distributors and equity investors who have expressed interest in
financing the film once our development fund goal is reached.
Who We Are
Mragendra Singh - Writer/Director
Mragendra Singh is a self-taught, American indie filmmaker
born and raised in India. He loves a great story and believes
visual storytelling has the power to break international
borders as well as cultural and linguistic boundaries and
prejudicial barriers. Mragendra is a prolific writer-director
with a very aesthetically rich taste. His culturally diverse
background significantly influences his work.
After
Mragendras first short film, "Crave", which he co-wrote
and directed, won First Place in the 3 Day Film Challenge in
San Jose, California, Mragendra was well on his way to
breaking into the industry with a slew of successful, diverse short films in a wide variety of
genres including drama, comedy, and documentary.
After running a successful Kickstarter campaign with producer and wife, Caitlin Kelly Singh, and
producer, C.M. Landrus, he finished his short, The Trunk, which is now in the film festival
circuit. So far, it has been played at the San Diego Film Festival and the Film Noir Festival in
France, where it won the
Prix du Cinema
, as well as HollyShorts Monthly Screening where it won
the Audience Award. Mragendras projects continue to screen at festivals, winning awards and
critical praise. His thriller short film, Blind Date, was admitted into the Short Corner at Cannes
Film Festival and was in competition at the Dances With Films Festival this past May. Most
recently, his short, The Report won the 1stPlace Grand Jury award at the Collaboration
Filmmakers Challenge in Los Angeles.
Video Date Top 200 Shorts for HBOs Project: Greenlight & Nominated for a Greenie Award for
Best Horror Short
https://vimeo.com/102650255

The Report
1st
Place $5,000 Grand Jury Award at the Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge
https://vimeo.com/129512019Password: TheReport

C.M. Landrus - Producer

C.M. is a producer and director whose narrative and documentary
short films have screened internationally and won several awards. C.M.
is currently producing a TV pilot, which she wrote and is in
post-production and pre production on several feature and short
projects. She is also a UCLA Extension instructor and a Violence
Prevention Specialist with Peace Over Violence.

Caitlin Kelly Singh - Producer

Caitlin Kelly Singh is a producer, script supervisor, and all around
passionate filmmaker. The first film she produced, Crave, won 1st Place
in the 3 Day Film Challenge: Horror Edition in San Jose, California. Since
then, she has produced and script supervised on numerous award
winning short films, and commercials. Most recently, she co-produced
and script supervised for the short film, Blind Date which was part of
the Short Film Corner at Cannes Film Festival and was also an official
selection at the Dances With Films Festival.
Franco SamaExecutive Producer
As an independent feature film producer, Franco Sama boasts a
remarkable and extensive history in public speaking, public relations and
a decade of independent film development, production and financing.
Sama has Executive Produced an impressive array of over twenty
independent feature films with stars, including Gary Oldman, Vivica Fox,
David Arquette, and Christian Slater.