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Logline

When a recovering heroin addict fresh out of prison shows up unannounced at the Salton Sea trailer of her estranged, reclusive grandfather, the two outcasts begin to form the family they never had… if their past demons don’t destroy it all first.

Synopsis

After three years in prison for drug-related offenses, Sarah Summers is released into a world she no longer trusts and no longer believes needs her. Her mother is dead. She never knew her father. Her grandmother vanished years ago. The only family she can locate is Warren Rosenberg, her estranged grandfather who lives on the shores of California’s dying Salton Sea. Sarah arrives unannounced, half-hoping he’ll turn her away so she can confirm what she already suspects: that she’s unlovable and unloved.

Warren, a Gulf War veteran who sells Ginsu knives at desert swap meets, is not the safe harbor Sarah imagined. He’s misanthropic, emotionally unavailable, and actively planning to leave town. He gives her five days. She gives him attitude. What neither expects is the slow, grudging recognition of kinship, two people shaped by abandonment, addiction, and the stubborn belief that survival is mostly a matter of refusing to die.

As Sarah learns the rhythms of Warren’s marginal existence, she begins to imagine a future that isn’t defined by her past. She lets herself be cared for, however clumsily, by a man who never learned how.

Recovery is fragile. When Sarah falls for Jason, a transient who offers escape and old habits, she risks everything she’s built with Warren. Faced with losing the granddaughter he never wanted, Warren realizes family is the only thing that matters.

The film culminates at Salvation Mountain, the psychedelic desert monument Sarah has long dreamed of visiting, a place she believes might offer answers. What she finds instead is Warren, searching for her.

SALVATION MOUNTAIN is a dark comedy about the family you choose, second chances, and finding salvation in unexpected places.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Jessica Cabot — Director/Writer/Producer
Jessica Cabot is an LA-based writer, director, and producer who earned her BA in Film at Vassar College and her MFA in Film & TV Production at USC’S School of Cinematic Arts. She is best known for creating the Webby Awards-honored series Shitty Boyfriends, which starred Sandra Oh and was executive produced by Lisa Kudrow in partnership with New Form Digital. Jessica also co-created and starred in Lifetime’s first web-series, The Young Hillary Diaries.

Her career has spanned foundational experiences from serving as the writer’s assistant for Weeds to mentoring under Joey Soloway as a Director’s Assistant. Jessica’s directorial work focuses on amplifying stories of voices living on the sidelines; she has directed several award-winning shorts for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge which have screened at festivals internationally. Her debut feature, Salvation Mountain (Grand Prize, 2024 Fugitive Sister Festival: Cannes) continues this mission of revealing deep emotional truths and providing catharsis.

Blair Bess — Writer/Producer
Blair Bess is an Emmy Award-winning producer, writer, and actor with a career spanning over three decades. As an Executive Producer at Two River Pictures, he has written and directed lifestyle programming for The Cooking Channel and Veria Living, including the James Beard Award-nominated special The Four Coursemen. His extensive background in production includes serving as a Vice President/Creative Director at Really Big Pictures, where he created marketing campaigns for ABC, NBC, Fox, and Paramount.

Recognized as a versatile voiceover performer, Blair has been the spokesperson for hundreds of leading brands, including Hyundai, Yamaha, and Serta, and has narrated documentaries for The History Channel, Discovery, and A&E. His television credits include recurring roles in ER, The Practice, and Boston Legal. A graduate of Vassar College, Blair brings a wealth of production expertise and a seasoned creative voice to his collaboration on Salvation Mountain.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.