Our Progress Achievements Since January

Beginning in early 2025, our team committed ourselves to an intensive post-production process aimed at elevating the film’s visual and auditory quality while preserving its authenticity. As of May 2025, we are proud to confirm that Sally’s Iron Mustangs is fully completed, with a 4K master now archived and ready for digital and theatrical exhibition.

Director Abdullah Abu-Mahfouz explains, “We recently completed the coloring, mastering, and AI restoration of some of the damaged images, resulting in a 4K master. This marked the end of the post-production process, which took place from April to May. We finally accomplished it.”

From November 2024 to April 2025, we engaged in a detailed sound mixing process, handled entirely in-house. This hands-on approach allowed us to directly shape the emotional cadence and clarity of the film’s sound.

“Since we managed the process internally, it took a considerable amount of time, but we wanted to give it the personal care it deserved,” says Abu-Mahfouz.

The completed editing timeline of the film, Sally’s Iron Mustangs.

• Picture Lock: Finalizing the visual sequence meant making decisions about what to keep, what to cut, and how to build narrative momentum. Picture lock allowed us to solidify the emotional and thematic arc of the film—ensuring that every transition, visual juxtaposition, and narrative beat was intentional and seamless.

   

• AI Video Restoration: Using Topaz Video AI, we were able to significantly reduce the visual noise present in our older Canon C100 footage. This process removed graininess, improved resolution, and brought sharper detail to scenes that were previously difficult to watch. The goal wasn’t to make the footage look artificial or overly polished, but rather to enhance clarity so that viewers could fully engage with the storytelling without distraction.

“Some of the footage was quite distracting due to its graininess and noise,” says Abu-Mahfouz. “This new technology enabled us to restore parts of that camera’s footage, making it less distracting for the viewer.”

• Audio Reconstruction & Dialogue Enhancement: Much of the original sound was recorded with a small crew—often just one person. Wireless lavalier mics were used to capture Sally’s dialogue while in motion or surrounded by ambient noise. Our team used artificial intelligence tools combined with traditional mixing techniques to isolate speech, suppress background interference, and ensure consistent volume and tone across all interviews and live footage. This was perhaps the most time-consuming aspect of post.

“It was just me handling the camera, directing, and recording audio,” recalls Abu-Mahfouz. “The AI really helped restore the dialogue’s clarity and quality.”

• Color Grading: We applied a full grading pass to unify the film’s tone, balance lighting inconsistencies, and enhance mood. The documentary transitions between gyms, homes, events, and interviews—each with different lighting conditions—so creating a visually cohesive experience was essential for emotional continuity.

   

• 4K Mastering: All assets were compiled into a single 4K master that meets festival and streaming platform standards. The mastering phase allowed us to finalize compression settings, audio levels, frame rate consistency, and subtitle integration. This ensures that no matter where the film is shown—in theaters, online, or educational venues—the audience will experience it as intended.

“At Reel Nation Media, we’re passionate about storytelling and dedicated to perfecting our craft,” says Abu-Mahfouz. “This story means so much to us that we felt it was essential to put our best foot forward.”

Completing all of this work in-house became a transformational learning experience for our team. We did not just finish a film—we grew our internal technical capacity as a production company.

“Even though our budget was limited, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” says Abu-Mahfouz. “It pushed us to develop these skills internally. Now, after seeing the film on smaller screens and even in a theater next to Wicked, I feel much more confident about the final product.”

A Sally’s Iron Mustangs screening at Penn Cinema, Lititz, PA.

AWhy We Chose This Moment to Launch the Trailer

The trailer is the first public-facing product of our completed film. It serves to reconnect our supporters, audience, and community stakeholders with the project after a season of silence.

“The reason we’ve been out of touch is because we’ve been so deeply focused on the work,” reflects Abu-Mahfouz. “Otherwise, it would have just been more updates saying, ‘We’re still in progress.’ But this is different—this is exciting. This is a milestone.”

We hope this trailer achieves several objectives:

• An Affirmation that the film is complete and high in quality: For funders, grantors, and early supporters, this trailer signals that their investment is now fully realized and production has reached its end.
• A Demonstration of the film’s emotional and visual richness: We want viewers to be immediately drawn into the world of Sally and the Iron Mustangs—to see the stakes, the passion, and the humor that makes this story resonate.
• A Catalyst for event planning, partnership development, and media interest: The trailer is a tool we will use to secure university screenings, media interviews, panel discussions, community events, and sponsor interest. It’s a first impression with impact.

Looking Ahead: Impact Distribution and Community Engagement

Now that the film is complete and the trailer is live, we are moving forward with our outreach strategy, built around community impact and educational access:

• Sally’s Across America: Our 2025 campaign aims to screen the film in over 100 locations, including community centers, senior centers, libraries, religious spaces, and nonprofit events. These events will include post-screening discussions, impact materials, and optional fundraising for local wellness or senior programming.
• University and Educational Screenings: We are actively building relationships with faculty in gerontology, social work, public health, and film studies. Our aim is to offer the film as a discussion tool, either as a hosted screening or as part of curriculum-supported educational use.

“We’re planning to use the trailer to circulate the film among universities and educational institutions,” says Abu-Mahfouz. “We still aim to screen it in every part of the country.”

• Sponsorship and Social Impact Partnerships: We are seeking sponsors who share our mission to promote wellness, aging with dignity, and equity in storytelling. Opportunities include pre-roll ads, branded content, educational partnerships, and community co-hosting.
• Early Access Sales: Coming soon, the film will be available via Vimeo OTT and our website. We will launch digital rentals and sales to individuals, schools, and groups. These purchases directly support free screenings in underserved communities.

“Completing the filmmaking process is a huge milestone,” says Abu-Mahfouz. “Now, the only remaining tasks are music licensing and a few copyright steps—then we’re ready to go wide.”

We invite educators, nonprofits, community organizers, and philanthropists to become part of this next phase. Whether you host a screening, sponsor a program, or simply help spread the word, you are instrumental to this story’s reach and resonance.

Pre-Order Access and Availability

We are excited to announce a special opportunity for those who pre-ordered the film. Pre-order customers will receive exclusive early access to watch Sally’s Iron Mustangs on May 12, 2025, coinciding with Sally’s birthday and the third anniversary of the film’s production completion. This copy of the film will be perpetually available to them via Reel Nation Media’s video-on-demand platform at https://reelnationmedia.vhx.tv

This exclusive window is our way of thanking our early supporters and giving them a first look at the finished film.

Pre-order access closes at midnight EST on May 16, 2025. After that, the film will not be available for home viewing until its formal release through subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) platforms. Please note that Pre-Order purchases must be made through Reel Nation Media’s store at https://reelnationmedia.com/product/sallys-iron-mustangs/. 

As a small team, we are unable to provide an exact date for when the film will reach these broader digital platforms. We’ve learned from experience that setting premature timelines isn’t always accurate. What we can promise is that this pre-order period is the most certain way for eager viewers to gain early access to the film. We appreciate your patience and continued support as we move into the next stages of distribution.

Thank you for your support!

This month, we celebrate the release of our trailer — a milestone made possible by your encouragement and belief in our work. Your support drives us to share stories that inspire and connect communities.

As we move forward with screenings and outreach, we’re grateful to have you with us on this journey.

Keep it Reel!

The Reel Nation Media Team