American Dirge
A journey through the backlands of the soul.
Sam, a troubled and ailing country/folk musician, embarks on a final journey from Los Angeles to Louisiana to visit his estranged father.
As he makes his way through the fading soul of a country that lived through better days, burdened by failure, loss, and emptiness – Sam confronts the ghosts of his haunting past.
With the coarseness of a gritty street poem, American Dirge sheds light on family, lack of recognition, and the interplay between sensitivity and self-destructiveness. This poignant and raw exploration of redemption and reconciliation reveals the struggle between a man’s troubled past and present.
Release
American Dirge will be released on Dec 6th 2024 – as (pre-)release on VimeoOnDemand, followed by a release on various VOD platforms (2025).
>> Pre-order the film (VimeoOnDemand)
Rent (stream) or buy (stream & download) American Dirge on Vimeo, a premium streaming platform that allows streaming with the highest video performance, speed and quality.
Pre-order the film & the offical film poster:
The official film poster (image above) is a high quality Din A1 (60 x 84,6 cm) print on thick paper. The VOD link will be send to you by email.
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Sam's story
The film’s associative, not-entirely-linear story is loosely based on the metaphorical meanings of Sam‘s lyrics, which are inspired by traditional country and folk songs. His songs embody the tragedy of the rejected, isolated, and ordinary man.
But Sam is not an ordinary man.
He is a gifted, uncompromising, and unheard artist on a mission of self-sacrifice. For many soft-hearted souls susceptible to addiction, Los Angeles is where everything spirals into chaos.
Born and raised in Louisiana by an American mother and a Mexican father with a conservative and religious background, Sam has experienced duality, ambivalence, and alterity from an early age. His decision to leave his family and move to Los Angeles in hopes of escaping his chains was also driven by the desire for a new beginning and a career in music.
American Dirge's story
American Dirge is a hybrid of real and fictionalized events, half narrative / half documentary, that uses fictionalized, stylized story elements, to assemble a blend of “what truly happened“, an extended truth, that most closely interprets the protagonist’s mental state.
„I stumbled upon Sam‘s music during the heyday of Myspace, where he had uploaded a few songs. It wasn‘t until much later that we got in touch and began discussing a potential collaboration. Although it was challenging to conduct a film project with someone like Sam—one of the most self-determined individuals I‘ve ever met, who was also going through a very difficult phase at the time—it was precisely this authenticity that elevated the film to another level. Due to various problems caused by the poor state of Sam‘s health during filming, the original script was only partially realized. This significantly affected the editing process, leading to a much different but more intense and authentic result. Sam is doing much better today, and accompanying him through this highly self-destructive period also contributed to his own recovery, as he mentioned afterwards.“ JS
The first chapter, “California,“ was shot in Los Angeles and Barstow, as well as along the scenic shores of Highway 1, in 2016.
The second chapter, “Louisiana,“ was filmed in New Orleans, Lafayette, and its surrounding areas in 2017.
American Dirge was finally finished nine years after the first shootings in late 2024.
Sam Sanchez, musician
Joshua “Sam“ Sanchez goes by many different monikers: Sam Samchez, Sam Suicide, and more recently, In Come The Devil.
Sam writes and performs his own music. He has played in various formations, including a hardcore and metal band, before continuing his career as a singer-songwriter. Many of his songs deal with loss, disappointment, anger, combining a punk attitude with vulnerability and fragility.
As Bukowski might have said, Sam truly went all the way,
becoming a disregarded relic in today‘s world of music—but one with uncompromising authenticity.
The slightly fictionalized character Sam is based on the real Sam (Joshua). Although both have many things in common Josh is a different person in real life.
Credits
Written, produced, directed, filmed, edited, animated by: Joerg Steineck
Starring: Joshua “Sam“ D. Sanchez, John Sanchez, Christopher Cockrell, Casper VonDJ, Torrance Jackson, Boo Pietre
Original music: Sam Sanchez / “In Come The Devil“
Additional score: Alex Kozmidi, Joerg Steineck / New Dead Radio / The Dogmen / New Natives Brass Band / Polly Pry
Audio- & soundtrack recording by David Casper (Los Angeles), Max Power (score) Max Power productions, audio recording by Charles Pietre (Louisiana), audio design/mix by Joerg Steineck
Location scouting (Louisiana) by Charles Pietre & Charlie Hunt / Set photography (Louisiana) by Josephine Hennessey
“New Dead Radio – Failing Star” music video: Director: Chad Adair, Dp: Gary Hatfield, Camera operators: Rich Brand, Steve Zukerman, Producer: Steve Zukerman
Thanks to
John Sanchez • Dianne Dugal • Torrance Jackson • Chris Cockrell • Casper von Dj • Spiros Tzivelekis • Spelman Evans Downer • BOO & the Pietre family • Dylan Langlois • Josephine Hennessey • Charlie Hunt • Christoph Seget • Peer Olejak • Alex Kozmidi • Max Power • Diana Hagenberg • Elena Karakitsou • Meike Hindemith • Rhys Jones • Julia Stone • Hannah Vogt • Fred Anderson • Jochen Wisotzki • Kristen Kirschner • Henry Holmes • Chad Adair
American Dirge : drama / documentary / experimental film
Total length: 82 mins / © & ℗ Steineck Films / IFP 2024