Interview by Paul Salfen
Nora Zehetner talks about her role as Detective Young with Paul Salfen.
SYNOPSIS
When the skeletal remains of eleven women and girls are discovered in the New Mexico desert, an extensive investigation is launched. Inspired by true crime stories, this chilling crime-thriller follows Detective Ortega (Brian Van Holt), Police Chief Carter(Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), and Agent Petrovick (Mel Gibson) in a multi-agency effort to identify and apprehend the killer. As each of their agendas and methods clash, a tangled web of intrigue casts suspicion in all directions.
NORA ZEHETNER (DetectiveYoung)
Nora Zehetner was most recently seen in the feature, Blood for Dustas the female lead opposite Scoot McNairy and Kit Harrington. She can next be seen in the upcoming feature, Boys of Summer(Mel Gibson, Lorraine Bracco).On the indie feature side she has appeared in Brick, Creative Control, Imperial Dreams, The Brothers Bloom, Spooner,May, and Conversations with Other Women.She portrayed Annie Glenn in the Disney+ TV series adaptation of, “The Right Stuff.” Her other notable TV credits include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Maron,” “Heroes,” “Mad Men,” and “Agents of Shield.” She recently wrapped a pilot for NBC.Originally from Texas, Nora currently resides in Los Angeles.
DIRECTOR’S ASIF AKBAR’S STATEMENT
As the director of BONEYARD, I was drawn to telling this story to shed light on the ongoing tragedy of missing persons cases and the sinister evil that lurks within society targeting the vulnerable. Though inspired by true crime stories, our film takes creative and artistic license to construct our own version of a cinematic thriller story that keeps audiences guessing until the final twist.
Above all, our goal was to honor the memories of the innocent lives lost and raise awareness of this pressing issue. According to the FBI, there are over 600,000 active missing persons cases at any given time in the United States alone. These are not juststatistics ‒they represent real people with families and futures stolen from them. By humanizing the individual victims in our story, I hope viewers will be left thinking of the tragedy of each and every missing soul behind these alarming numbers.
It was also important to me to depict the tireless efforts of law enforcement who work day and night thanklessly to solve these cases and bring perpetrators to justice ‒though justice will never fully undo such unspeakable crimes. They deserve our utmost gratitude and support. I’m grateful to the real police officers behind the scenes, who consulted on our production to get accurate procedure and respectful representation.
On a creative level, I was thrilled to assemble such a powerhouse cast led by the one and only Mel Gibson. His nuanced portrayal of our dogged yet flawed lead detective anchors the complex mystery unfolding around him. I’m grateful for the trust the entire ensemble placed in my vision to spin this harrowing true-crime yarn into an entertaining yet meaningful thriller.
In the end, it is my hope that BONEYARD succeeds not just as an edge-of-your-seat film, but as a true call to action against the quiet evils that fester within our society. By shining a light on real tragedies like the West Mesa case, perhaps we can honorthe lost by preventing future injustice and bring closure to open cases still in need of the final piece to solve the gruesome puzzle.
