July 14 – September 5, 2026 · American West
An award-winning filmmaker takes his songwriting community across the American West. 54 days. 4,844 miles. Seven artists. Twelve originals recorded on the road. A documentary short.
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54
Days on the road
4,844
Miles driven
7
National parks
5
Sanctuary events
12
New singles
7
Artists on the road
The Story
the room,
on the road.
Songwriting Sanctuary started in Austin. A room for writers who were serious about the song. No filler. No performance. Just people showing up to get better.
This summer, we take it on the road.
Seven artists, a camera rolling the whole time, and 4,844 miles of American West ahead of us. Desert sessions. Coastal living rooms. Shows in whatever room will have us. Sanctuary events in five cities along the route.
At the end of the road: a documentary. And the biggest Sanctuary event we've ever thrown, right back home in Austin.
The Film
Documentary Short — Festival Circuit 2027
Directed by Benjamin Webster, whose last short won Best International Documentary at AIFF 2026. Targeting SXSW, Tribeca, AFI Docs, and Hot Docs.
New Music
12 Singles. Recorded on the Road.
Coffee Shop drops before departure. Twelve originals across 54 days — written and recorded wherever the road earns them. Real music, made in real places.
The Community
5 Live Sanctuary Events
Flagstaff. Santa Barbara. Boulder. Taos. And the homecoming show back in Austin. The room travels and every city becomes part of the story.
July 14 — September 5
the route.
Terlingua
TX · Big Bend Country
Desert sessions · Gateway to Big Bend
White Sands
NM · New Mexico Desert
National Monument · Sunrise shoot
Flagstaff & Sedona
AZ · Red Rock Country
Sanctuary Event · Grand Canyon day trip
Joshua Tree
CA · Mojave Desert
National Park · Desert sessions
Santa Barbara
CA · Pacific Coast
Sanctuary Event · Hotel Cafe show
Big Sur
CA · Pacific Coastline
National park · Sessions on the cliffs
Yosemite
CA · Sierra Nevada
National Park · Valley floor sessions
Mt Shasta & Crater Lake
CA/OR · Cascade Range
Volcanic wilderness · Two parks back to back
Yellowstone & Jackson Hole
WY · Teton Range
Grand Tetons · Filming and sessions
Boulder
CO · Rocky Mountains
Sanctuary Event Aug 31 · The Fonts shows
Taos
NM · High Desert
Final Sanctuary Event of the tour
Palo Duro Canyon
TX · Texas High Plains
Canyon country · Final night on the road
The Director
Benjamin Webster.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker. Musician. Founder of the Songwriting Sanctuary. His films document communities using music, ceremony, and collective expression to process what language cannot hold.
This summer, he turns the camera on something he built himself.
Best Int'l Documentary Short
Austin International Film Festival 2026
Film work
Love Back to Country
Best Int'l Documentary Short — AIFF 2026
A cinematic reckoning with ancestral land, family wound, and return.
Healing the Interior
Feature Documentary — In Post-Production
In the aftermath of Kamloops, a community turns to the frequency of music.
“The songs we need are somewhere out on that road. We are going to go find them.”
Benjamin Webster, Founder
Get Involved
contribute to
the story.
Support the film directly, or help us find the right rooms to play in. Both matter.
Support the Film
Your name in the credits.
Your contribution goes directly toward making this documentary happen. 54 days across the American West. Four artists. One film. Supporters giving $150 or more are credited in the film.
support the filmConnections & Introductions
Know someone we should meet?
A venue. A press contact. A community organizer. Someone doing something real in a city we're passing through. The right introduction at the right moment changes everything. If you know someone, we'd love to hear about it.
this film gets made.
the question is who's on it.
54 days. 4,844 miles. Seven artists. One documentary bound for the festival circuit. Partner with us, support the film, or just follow every mile.