The Protector, an independent climate action thriller written and directed by Raul Gasteazoro (BLACK PEARL), produced in partnership with James Cooney, delivers a gripping narrative that echoes real-world crises—from Indigenous land battles and global pandemics, to food scarcity and water wars. While Hollywood champions climate stories through big-budget spectacles, this film drills into the human stakes with raw, grassroots intensity.
FANS OF BOOK OF ELI, MAD MAX and FURIOSA:
As water scarcity dominates headlines, The Protector offers an intimate lens on communities fighting for survival. Set in a future ravaged by water wars, famine, and collapse, The Protector follows Key (Marguerite Moreau), a hardened convict offered one last shot at freedom. Her mission: penetrate an Indigenous reservation that protects the region’s last freshwater aquifer. A lethal minefield stands in her way, but Key holds the only map that can guide her through. When she encounters Kellan, an orphaned boy in need of protection, Key’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for the future of the West.
The film explores urgent themes of water conservation, environmental collapse, and indigenous land sovereignty, wrapped inside a gritty, adrenaline-fueled survival story that dares to ask: What are we willing to protect when there’s nothing left to lose?
RELEASE DETAILS:
In Theaters and Available On Demand – May 23rd
Distributed by Vertical Entertainment in partnership with JD Beaufils of Blacktop International.
FILMMAKER STATEMENT:
“We made this film in response to what’s going on in the world right now. Our goal is to help people overcome the overwhelmed and apathetic mindset of our times. And remind audiences that we make the rules- and we can still protect what is left.” – Raul Gasteazoro, Director
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=PLOPk3p-D8U - ProtectWhatIsLeft.com
- @ProtectWhatIsLeft
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:
Ravaged by water wars, famine, and drought, the West is once again wild—and peace a thing of the past. Children are rare. Water is sacred. Life hangs by a thread. To escape a life-prison sentence, a convict named Key makes a deal with Gael, the ruthless leader of the Revelers gang: lead them onto an Indigenous reservation that hides the last known freshwater source. Surrounded by a deadly minefield, only Key knows the way in. But when she meets a boy who may hold the key to healing the land, her mission changes. Now she must fight not for her freedom, but for a future worth saving.
About the Film:
The Protector (2024,104 mins) is an independent production funded by the Director, Raul Gasteazoro, and a group of close friends and family, who joined forces around the shared mission of getting this movie out into the world. It aims to entertain while empowering audiences to engage with water justice, and protect what is left for future generations. We are crowdfunding to amplify this message and build a movement:
