Genre
Synopsis
Texas Ranger Billy Wang finds himself at a crossroads when he and his partner Jack Holland uncovers an Asian sex trafficking ring in Austin, TX. Tragically, Jack is killed during the operation, leaving Billy reeling. Urged by his mentor, Captain Rick Thomas, to take a break, Billy's descent into despair leads to a brief investigation into the circumstances of Jack's death and an unexpected partnership with rookie Texas Ranger Rohan Patel. Despite initial friction, the two bond over shared grief—Billy over his lost son Bobby and Rohan over his brother Arjun,| both victims of apparent hate crimes.
Struggling with his father's legacy of vigilantism and fearing a similar path, Billy faces a reckoning with his mother Huilin. Witnessing a hate crime against Asian American college student Benny Huang ignites Billy's determination to seek justice. But when Captain Rick sidelines him in favor of a more experienced White Ranger Jim Phelps, Billy and Rohan enlist the help of hacker Rosario Rodriguez, Billy’s adoptive sister, to pursue the case independently. Their pursuit of the perpetrator, Cade Wallace, leads to a violent confrontation involving the death of Cade's ex-wife Kimberly Jones and Billy's arrest after purportedly strangling Cade to death, prompting Rohan to uncover a shocking revelation. Rosario, haunted by memories of a human trafficking ring inside a massage parlor, begins her own secret vigilante campaign in secret against the perpetrators.
With Rosario’s assistance, Rohan's investigation unveils Captain Rick's involvement in a hate crime ring catering to extremist White elites connected to both the Cartel and Triad, learning that both Arjun and Billy’s father, Rosario’s mentor, were killed due to the actions of Rick. With this newfound information, Rohan helps free Billy, and the two of them meet with Jim to take down the Captain. Backed into a corner, Captain Rick takes drastic action, ultimately leading to his own demise. With the truth exposed, Jim steps up to lead, and FBI Agents announce a raid that will dismantle the criminal organization's operations. Billy and Rick are undecided if they want to come back. In a final twist, Rosario is revealed to have kept a secret affair with Jack hidden from Billy during which the two of them discovered the sex trafficking operation that led to Jack’s death. Rohan discovers this secret, but decides to keep it between himself and Rosario. In the end, an APD officer comes to visit the three of them and serve justice, but it’s unclear which of the three will be taken in.
The story of OUTLAW unfolds, blending themes of identity, justice, redemption, trauma, comradery, and the struggle against systemic racism/discrimination in a fast-paced narrative.
Bio
Kirtana Banskota is an award-winning Nepali-American Producer, Director, and Actor whose Production Company, Banskota Productions, has offices in Austin, TX and Kathmandu, Nepal. She Chairs the Board of Women in Film and Television and is the co-founder of Nepal America Film Society and the Nepal America International Film Festival. She is the Founder and CEO of Banskota Productions which produces narratives and documentaries of unheard stories from across the globe. Kirtana is also the co-founder of the South Asian House which has partnered with festivals like SXSW, Tribeca and Art Basel. Her first SAG film she co-directed, Premonition, released in October 2023, while Where the Stars Are, a feature length Asian musical, she co-directed and produced is set to premiere December 2023. Banskota also has several shorts set to compete in the film festival circuit in 2023. Her recent climb to Everest Base Camp reignited her childhood passion for the region and brought awareness to the social impact of climate change, leading to her new animation that won the International Development Award at the WIFTI script pitch challenge- Maya from the Himalaya and her docuseries, Planet Possible. She is also working on a feature documentary focusing on the issues of the Texas/Mexico Border called Crossing the Rio Grande.
