Sarah Fisher's car will sport a banner touting the underdog Sundance film BOTTLE SHOCK. Much like Fisher, the film is a great underdog story. It is about the birth of the Napa wine industry when a group of farmers bested the exalted French. The making of such a grand film on a shoestring is an underdog story in and of itself.
"I'm really pulling for Sarah because I liken her struggles to mine. Going after sponsors is a tough thing as a independent filmmaker, no matter how good your project is. It's like she's
got the actors and the crew and then no money to buy the film for the camera," says Randall Miller, the film's director.
Not long after word got out this month that the driver Sarah Fisher had lost her primary corporate sponsor, which is as bad as losing all of her tires, fans stopped her at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and offered more than sympathy. They gave her money, the most precious material in racing. One fan wrote her a check for $100. Another fan gave her $20,
apologizing he could not give more. All told, her race team received about $30,000.
For Miller the road has been equally tough, pulling all nighters to prepare proposals for investors and struggling to keep things afloat with less money to make his film than bigger films
spend on meals alone. BOTTLE SHOCK stars Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, Eliza Dushku, Dennis Farina and Bradley Whitford. It hits theaters
August 8th.