THE PILOT TEASER - FLASHFORWARD: 

 

Interior of a small luxury movie theater. A cheaply made, yet bizarrely compelling avant-garde documentary film begins, the opening card title reads “Dia De Los Muerto!”.

 

The film shows a “Day of the Dead” celebration while the narration shouts at us with bigoted hysteria about the hordes of foreigners - “illegal aliens” - coming into “our” neighborhoods with their strange customs, their stubborn refusal to learn the language, their toppling of local property (as well as moral) values... 

 

And then, as the images proceed to get darker - depicting narco violence, beheadings, dead bodies hanging from bridges - the narration brings home the film’s ironic twist: the hordes of “illegal aliens” are invading... not the US... but Mexico!  Rich “gringos” from North America who have settled into Mexican resort areas with expensive home communities, golf courses, country clubs...

 

When the movie ends, there is no response from the “captive” audience - literally! - 50 people bound, gagged, sitting in overstuffed cozy leather chairs... hostages!... 

 

A terrorist, wearing a Lucha Libre wrestling mask, is making fresh popcorn, scooping it into little bags and handing it out to other terrorists who also wear assorted Lucha Libre masks and have AK-47s slung over their shoulders.

 

Another terrorist notices that the movie has ended and starts to cheer, triggering all of the terrorists to cheer and throw popcorn at the screen.

 

The terrorist leader, EL JEFE, moves in front of the screen, stepping over the party’s DJ, who lies dead in a pool of blood. Pilfering the fedora off the deceased hipster’s head, using it to take a grand bow, El Jefe takes an IPAD out of the clutched hands of a gagged hostage, 15 year old PAISLEY RUIZ, asking: “How did you like my movie, a masterpiece, no?” 

 

Training the IPAD camera on the frightened girl, El Jefe continues: “Do you think your Popi liked it?” indicating with a clear directive that she nod “yes” to her father, JAZ RUIZ, a businessman in his  40’s, who appears on the IPAD screen. 

 

As the IPAD CAMERA scans the dead DJ and the terrified captive faces, a hard determined look sets on JAZ’S face: he will do everything and anything to save them.

 

Another face suddenly appears next to JAZ’s, FERN ZAPATA DE RUIZ, in her early 40’s, equal parts gorgeous and kick-ass, she is wearing an elegant Day of the Dead costume. She speaks Spanish rapidly and forcefully into the iPad camera which cuts her off going to black.

 

END TEASER