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| Jacob Tremblay as JOE, Nick Offerman as JERRY, in SOVEREIGN |
I was honored to have the opportunity to speak with Christian Swegal, the director and writer of the film SOVEREIGN, starring Nick Offerman, Dennis Quaid, and Jacob Tremblay. The film premiered at Tribeca in June 2025 and will release in theaters on July 11, 2025. Read my review of the film.
SOVEREIGN is based on a true crime that took place in West Memphis in 2010. After being pulled over for what should have been a routine traffic stop, father and son Jerry and Joe Kane opened fire on two officers, killing them in cold blood. Sovereign covers the events that lead up to this crime that is still studied today. The father and son duo were self-proclaimed "Sovereign Citizens," folks who believe themselves to be above the laws of the federal and state governments.
Swegal tells this story with empathy and perspective, creating context for the Kane's beliefs and eventual downfall. After talking about some of his personal motivations and inspirations for cinematic filmmaking, Swegal shares the research and reasoning behind his storytelling methodology. Swegal's drive to understand different perspectives mirrors my own ideology closely. It was a pleasure to speak to him about his film.
About Christian Swegal: Christian Swegal is a writer and director working across film and television. He co-wrote the feature film "Proud Mary" for Screen Gems, created "Solar," a pilot developed for Syfy, and he collaborated with Werner Herzog to develop "Fordlandia" for AMC. He is a graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts. You can follow Christian on IG: @cswegal.
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