One day, at age 40, Wes wakes up with the realization that the door is quickly closing on the opportunity to make a name for himself in the music industry. With This World Won’t Break, Jordan wanted to tell a story that is not often told about the business but probably all the more relatable because of it.
“There are so many movies we see where someone’s a nobody, but then they make it really big and play this big arena,” Jordan says. “Or the opposite where we see the old guy, who used to be a star, and now he’s had his fall from grace. And my whole thing was, ‘How about the story about the guy who never makes it big?’”
This World Won’t Break was filmed mostly in Dallas, with some parts shot outside of Italy, Texas. The film’s cast and crew are entirely composed of Dallas natives and residents, with notable appearances by actor Justin Locklear, 1310 The Ticket’s George Dunham and The Polyphonic Spree.
“My whole thing was, ‘How about the story about the guy who never makes it big?’ ” — Josh David Jordan
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Jordan believes Dallas is a great launching pad for artists who want to begin their career in art, music or film.
“You can really get your shit together here,” Jordan says. ”A lot of people go off to New York, go off to LA, or even Austin without having a lot under their belts. You can live here and have your tribe, and maybe garner some attention from people in those other places.”
After years of working in Dallas and supporting venues, restaurants and fellow creatives, Jordan and crew were able to acquire donations that included set space, costumes and equipment. The final cost of making This World Won’t Break came to an estimated total of $36,000.
“We went into this film with no set budget,” Jordan recalls. “It was a bit of a challenge to get to where we wanted, but using your time wisely and building the right relationships, you can make a bigger budget.”
This World Won’t Break will have two more DIFF screenings: 3 p.m. Tuesday at Studio Movie Grill, 11170 N. Central Expressway, and again at 10:15 p.m. Thursday at Landmark's Magnolia Theatre, 3699 McKinney Ave.
