Director of “The Last Stop in Yuma County” talks about film

Reporter Zackary Moran-Norris spoke with Francis Galluppi to talk about the inspirations, where it was filmed, and more

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - "The Last Stop in Yuma County" was released earlier this month, marking the feature film debut of Francis Galluppi.

According to a press release obtained by KYMA, Galluppi, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, directed two short films:

• High Desert Hell, which won the "Wes Craven Award" at the Catalina Film Festival in 2019.
• The Gemini Project, which won "Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Short Film" at the Burbank International Film Festival in 2020.

When asked what his inspiration behind having the movie be set in Yuma County, Galluppi said:

"I wrote the script based on a location out in Palmdale, in Los Angeles. So, that's how I kind of how I started writing my short films was that I was writing based on locations I had free access to, so when it came time to writing the feature, I found this location, Four Aces, out in Palmdale, and thought it would be a cool place to shoot a movie...Once the story started to come together, part of the idea is that they're, like, close to the Mexico border, and Yuma, just...One, it sounded cool and it, sort of, practically made sense."

While Galluppi said he didn't film the movie in Yuma County itself, he said they filmed it in California, and that there are Easter eggs to Yuma County, such as a clock reading 3:10 as an homage to "3:10 to Yuma."

In addition, Galluppi shares his artistic inspirations behind the movie, which the press release classifies the film as a crime thriller/western hybrid, he said he loved film noir, 1970s movies from Sam Peckinpah and Don Siegel, westerns, and more.

When asked what other kind of research goes into making "The Last Stop" feel realistic, Galluppi said:

"I have spent a lot of my life touring, so I have been through Yuma before and kind of all-around the country, but anytime I wrote characters...I wanted to make sure, you know, I was getting the script to any friends that I had that grew up [in states around the country], and be like, 'Does anything feel off to you?'"

"The Last Stop in Yuma County," which premired in theaters and on digital on May 10, is playing at Harkins Theatres in Yuma. To check for showtimes, click here.