Nowhere, Michigan

About the Film

David (Tequan Richmond) is fleeing from a murder, a pair of deadly conmen and is inadvertently toting a bag full of meth and cash with him. He ends up passing through a small, frozen, nowhere town in the heart of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

David becomes entangled in a small town love triangle between a pregnant, snarky bartender, Madison (Jenna Boyd) who longs to get out of Michigan, and a chatty, cheerful diner waitress, April (Christina Scherer) who can barely conceive of a world outside her hometown.

David forms a tentative friendship with his grumpy, gasmask-wearing, ice-fishing neighbor, Martin, (Richard Riehle), and finds himself in the middle of a do-it-yourself meth ring with the local drug dealer, Erin (Ashlie Atkinson).   In time, David feels at home for a moment in this small town, until a wrong move tips off the deadly conmen to his location.  David must choose between running for his life again, or trying to save the local people he has come to love.

Great Lakes connection:

The film was shot in the Iron Mountain Area. The director grew up in Iron Mountain.

Cast & Crew:

Director: Robert Vornkahl
Writer(s): Andrew Beguin
Producer(s): Andrew Beguin, Molly Beitchman
Key Cast: Tequan Richmond, Jenna Boyd, Christina Scherer, Ashlie Atkinson, Richard Riehle, Seth Kirschner, Nick Jax Slater

Director Bio:

Robert was born in White Plains, NY but raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan, which was one of the many shooting locations for “Nowhere, Michigan”. Growing up in the small town of Iron Mountain has added so much to the culture and local color of the script, informing characters, dialogue, accents, traditions and other aspects that make “Nowhere, Michigan” a truly unique, small town film.

In 2015 Robert completed his first feature film “Completely Normal”, which enjoyed a tremendous reception on the festival circuit. It was accepted to over 20 festivals internationally and won four Best Feature awards and a host of other awards, such as Best Ensemble Cast and Best Cinematography, as well as garnering many other nominations, including Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies and Production from Hofstra University where he was the School of Communications Film Student of Year and winner of Best in Show and Best Cinematography for his Thesis Film “Ellipsis”. He also served as the Hofstra Filmmaker’s Club President for 2 years, which collectively produced over 40 Short Films. He has been living and working in New York City for over a decade as a freelance DP/Director, Editor and Lighting Technician.

Director Statement:

I am committed to creating original, entertaining films that will engage audience in discussion and create a world of escape, as movies are intended to be.