BILLINGS — For 25 years, prominent Billings photographer Mary Kate Teske has carried a camera. Today, however, she is seeking funding for her 110-page screenplay, "The Lancer."
“I don’t feel a lot of stories are really told from Eastern Montana, and I think, authentically, that’s what I’m trying to do," said Teske.
The film centers around her 1961 Dodge — its namesake — inherited by her family when it was willed to her grandfather by two women on two separate occasions.
“Those two old ladies have been my guardian angels, I feel, for many, many years and whenever I tell this story, I really want to pay my respect to them," said Teske.
The car's story has been viewed more than two million times across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
“I actually lived out of the car for about a year and slept out of the back seat," said Teske. "I’ve been given offers of $30,000 to buy this car, and I’ve refused those offers because the sentimental value means too much.”
Her proof-of-concept short film, which reveals the full story behind her car, can be viewed below.
“Whether or not there’s a production studio behind me or I have to make (the film) fully independently, I’m gonna make 'The Lancer,'” said Teske.
