A New Musical Film by Jim Fall with Original Songs by Mervyn Warren
Filming Begins in the Summer of 2026
The film Out In The Vineyard is an original musical drama set in the picturesque Sonoma County, California, blending romance, family secrets, and the resilience of dreams. The story follows Sean O’Dey, a young man approaching his 30th birthday, who inherits his estranged Uncle Walt’s vineyard in Sonoma.
Out In the Vineyard is set to begin filming Summer 2026. Contact us to find out more about how you can support our film through investment and donations.
My failures are mounting
That’s four, but who’s counting?
There was always another frontier
Seems I have no business being in business
So, one thing is painfully clear
It’s time to move on..
<span data-metadata=""><span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">Musical
The film’s unique appeal lies in its musical elements, where characters break into song to express their deepest emotions and dreams. Grounded in reality but with lively musical numbers, Out In The Vineyard explores forbidden love, generational family struggles, and the pursuit of impossible dreams. The visually striking settings of Sonoma’s rolling hills and vineyards reflect the contrasting eras of the 1960s and present day, and the storyline’s shifting visual style mirrors Sean’s personal transformation.
Out In the Vineyard is set to begin filming next year. Please consider supporting our film with a donation or by sharing within your communities.
SYNOPSIS
Sean O’Dey, a young gay man fast approaching his 30th birthday, is a perpetual dreamer whose life has been defined by a series of business failures. As he shutters his latest failed enterprise, he receives unexpected news that his long-lost Uncle Walt has passed away, and he must attend the reading of the will. Accompanied by his best friend and part-time drag performer, Conrad, Sean travels from Los Angeles to the idyllic Sonoma countryside, where he discovers he’s inherited all of Uncle Walt’s worldly possessions, including an aging house and vineyard. But the inheritance sets off a feud with José, the fiery neighboring vineyard owner, who believes the property should have been left to him. Sean soon uncovers the family’s hidden love story spanning six decades: Uncle Walt and José’s father, Gustavo, were impassioned lovers caught in a complex love triangle with José’s mother, Valentina.
When Sean learns that Uncle Walt’s unfulfilled dream was to build a successful winery one day, he seizes upon this venture as a chance to prove his worth despite having no expertise in winemaking. For Sean, this risky endeavor is his last chance to redefine himself and honor a family legacy rooted in love, resilience, and identity. Will Sean’s journey be yet another chapter of failure, or will he rise above his past to honor Walt’s legacy and find his own place out in the vineyard?
Out In the Vineyard is set to begin filming next year. Please consider supporting our film with a donation or by sharing within your communities.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
The first movie my parents took me to see in a theater was Mary Poppins, and it immediately took up permanent residence in my heart. At that time, I didn’t realize that it was part of a rare breed of original break-into-song movie musicals that were explicitly written for the screen and weren’t adaptations of stage productions. Some of the movies on this list include The Wizard of Oz (1939), Singing In The Rain (1952), A Star Is Born (1954), Gigi (1958), The
Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971), Yentl (1984), and more recently: Once (2007), La La Land (2016), and The Greatest Showman (2017). In this same tradition, Out In The Vineyard is an original new movie musical written for the screen. However, unlike these other musicals, it’s grounded much more in reality. Granted, it’s a reality where people break into song, but not with extravagant fantasy elements. That being said, the movie still has big, fun, lively numbers. But for the most part, the story is intimate, with songs that reflect the big-hearted, romantic drama that unfolds.
Out In The Vineyard musically weaves the parallel stories of two generations of Sonoma farm families struggling to unite for survival. Musicals shine when characters reach a point where dialogue is no longer enough, and only through song can they fully express their deepest hopes, dreams, and desires. Adapting any story into a musical is challenging, but Out In The Vineyard is a rich, multicultural tale of forbidden love, family secrets, and big dreams, filled with poignant and rousing opportunities for the
characters to break into song.
Given my love of musicals, unsurprisingly, my first four feature films all contain musical numbers in one way or another. However, they were primarily one-off performances within the story, where a character sings a live song. I’m excited to say that with the creation of Out In The Vineyard, I’ll finally realize my lifelong dream of directing an entirely new,
unapologetic, original movie musical. I couldn’t be more thrilled. – JIM FALL
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