press
(North Hollywood, Aug 10, 2006)  The blazing heat, the scorching sun; Arizona’s desert teems with life. Like the native saguaro cactus, thousands of unbelievable stories root
themselves into this Painted Desert.

April Wade, 24, and Lira Kellerman, 25, could feel their story slowly growing to life in the Arizona heat. Two young and ambitious filmmakers, decided to take their independent film
on the road where they have found unexpected friendships and unearthed a bevy of local tales.

Their script, Phoenix, is heaving with quirky characters that uncover family they never knew about, thereby uncovering themselves. Little did the filmmakers know, this backdrop
could not have been more fitting. “Folks are more familial here, much friendlier, which seems paradoxical when so many of them come to Arizona to get away from larger, busier
cities, to leave everyone else behind,” Kellerman said. “We wanted to explore how even those who consider themselves hermits, need family in order to understand who they are to
themselves and those around them.”

Indeed, Apache Junction, AZ, known locally as “Dysfunction Junction,” is trying hard to shake off the disconnectedness it is know for and follow the lead of the cities surrounding
with their booming corporate growth. As Apache Junction ushers in a time of Kohls and Target, they still squabble over the vibrant green the local community college was painted.

From an 83-year old local just finding out about a brother he never knew he had to a mother whose daughters have flown the coop and the state, the two filmmakers quickly found
themselves surrogate family in Apache Junction. Business owners and residents alike have opened more than their shops and homes to the pair – but also their lives.

“As we went to explore the town, we suddenly found that it was exploring us. Our story, removed from our own lives, is truly alive here in Apache Junction,” Wade explains. “It has
become a very communal project. As we tell locals about our story and explore the theme with them, people are opening up to us in incredible ways.”

Perhaps the main reason the locals are so excited to lend a helping hand is because they understand how one can feel isolated in a large desert, but like family in a small town.
Phoenix’s protagonist, Michaela, is a young woman on the verge of adulthood, seeking out the father she never knew, eventually discovering more than she bargained for about her
new family. “Everyone can relate to the need to get away, to lose yourself in order to find out who you really are. The desert is the place to do so,” Kellerman adds.

As the project develops, Kellerman and Wade are finding themselves increasingly affected by the landscape of the desert and the people they are meeting. Their art is, indeed,
holding a mirror up to nature.

For more information on this project, or to track its development, visit www.phoenixthewebsite.com. Women on Top Productions can be reached at 323-819-9233 or at
bigsquarebuckle@yahoo.com.
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Apache Junction/Gold Canyon Independent, October 31, 2006
The Cactus, October 25, 2006
Apache Junction/Gold Canyon News, November 2006
Arizona Republic, July 29, 2006
Indie film work draws fans in AJ

Lars Jacoby
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 29, 2006 12:00 AM

When a big time Hollywood production rolls into town, it can bring big-name stars, tons of money
and lots of jobs.

But when an independent film comes calling, the stars aren't so big, the money weighs pounds
instead of tons, and the jobs, well, sometimes those don't pay at all.

Take the movie Phoenix which will be filming in Apache Junction in late September.  Even though
the filmmakers won't be throwing a lot of money around, the residents and businesses of Apache
Junction have been pouring out of the woodwork to help the company, Women On Top
Productions, make its film.

April Wade, 24, and Lira Kellerman, 25, both from the Los Angeles area, are the women behind
the film and have found a lot of support in the Valley from people offering free food and lodging to
other perks and discounts around town.

"It's been overwhelming in a good way," said Wade of support she has found in Apache Junction.

"We've had people say, 'Come over to my house for a barbecue.' We've had people offer their
houses to stay in. . . . It's gone surprisingly well."

With a shoestring budget, Wade and Kellerman say they have very little money to spend on
anything other than paying their crew, so they decided to take their cause to the public and even
found a friend in the Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce.

"If it brings any kind of opportunity to show Apache Junction in a good light, we'll do it," said
Rayna Palmer, chamber president. Palmer said the Chamber reached out to the filmmakers
because it is "about accommodating economic development" in all forms.

So far that has included helping find businesses interested in donating goods and services, as well
as giving the filmmakers space to hold auditions.

The crew said finding support has been easier in Apache Junction than in Los Angeles, where they
will be filming most of their interior shots next month.

The movie is described as a psychological thriller with some dark comedy mixed in, and is about a
woman searching for her true identity.
Apache Junction Indepedent, July 25, 20066
Apache Junction News, July 24, 2006
Apache Junction Indepedent, July 25, 20066