About the film
Made entirely by young people:
a documentary about crossing America.
Five people under 24 cycle across America, struggling and clashing along the way. A team that’s also all under 24, from director to cast, turns it into a documentary film.
- Runtime
- Approx. 60 min (planned)
- Series
- YouTube series (planned)
- Release
- From March 2027
- Screenings
- 100 schools nationwide + streaming
What kind of film do we want to make (from the director)
Director, Yuto Nakamoto
So what kind of film will this actually be? In one line: a film that makes you want to follow your own curiosity and take a step, right now, the moment it ends. You’ll see footage of five people cycling across America, but this isn’t a road-trip movie. As the viewer, you become the “sixth member” of the team, sharing every hard moment and every moment of triumph in real time, all the way to the finish line.
All five of them keep taking new steps and living life fully, each in their own way. Combine even a little of each of their essences, and the possibilities are endless. I want you to find the way of living that feels right for you, and to leave with the confidence to take your own first step, especially if you’re a high schooler or college student who still has every version of yourself ahead of you. Coming spring 2027.
Highlights
Every bit of the challenge, unedited
Bad weather, physical limits, days that never go to plan. No editing to make the trip look better than it was.
Five people’s struggles and honest feelings
A calligrapher, a regional revitalizer, a share-house owner, a magic bar owner. We follow what these five very different people really feel over a long journey.
Route 66’s 100th anniversary
2026 marks Route 66’s 100th anniversary. We’re documenting this crossing right as the world’s attention turns to it.
What we want this project to achieve
What we want is to turn this journey into a film that becomes energy for the next generation to get moving. Finishing the ride across America is how we get there.
Reach 10,000 people nationwide
An unscripted challenge, cut into one documentary by a crew of our own generation. From spring 2027, we bring that energy straight to 10,000 young people through screenings at 100 schools and events in major cities.
Give people a reason to start
This is the real goal: for 10,000 viewers to feel that it’s okay to be imperfect, and okay to follow their own excitement into a first step. We don’t pick one hero. By showing five completely different lives, struggles and kinds of growth, we want each viewer to find a form of challenge that fits them.
Director
Yuto Nakamoto (20)
Video creator / FPV drone pilot. Winner of numerous student film contests.
See cast & director profiles