Exclusive: Independent streaming company Cinedigm has taken all North American rights on Our Father, the feature debut of director-writer-actor Bradley Grant Smith that debuted at SXSW earlier this year.
The deal marks the first Cinedigm acquisition slated to be released as an exclusive on the company’s independent streaming service Fandor.
The film finds estranged sisters Beta (Baize Buzan) and Zelda (Allison Torem) on a last-ditch effort to preserve a familial bond by a shared desire in finding their mysterious, seemingly vanished Uncle Jerry.
Director Smith previously acted in pics such as Saint Frances (2019) and The Last Shift (2020). He is also known as a musician, whose song Help Yourself was featured in the Academy Award nominated film Up in the Air (2009).
The deal was negotiated by Manager of Acquisitions Brandon Hill on behalf of Cinedigm and Bill Straus at Bridge Independent on behalf of the filmmakers, Bradley Grant Smith and Alex Thompson.
The deal marks the first Cinedigm acquisition slated to be released as an exclusive on the company’s independent streaming service Fandor.
The film finds estranged sisters Beta (Baize Buzan) and Zelda (Allison Torem) on a last-ditch effort to preserve a familial bond by a shared desire in finding their mysterious, seemingly vanished Uncle Jerry.
Director Smith previously acted in pics such as Saint Frances (2019) and The Last Shift (2020). He is also known as a musician, whose song Help Yourself was featured in the Academy Award nominated film Up in the Air (2009).
The deal was negotiated by Manager of Acquisitions Brandon Hill on behalf of Cinedigm and Bill Straus at Bridge Independent on behalf of the filmmakers, Bradley Grant Smith and Alex Thompson.
- 10/4/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
"We are looking for Jerry." Fandor has debuted an official trailer for an indie dramedy feature called Our Father, which premiered at this year's SXSW Film Festival playing in the main competition. Marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Bradley Grant Smith, the film is described as a "sardonic drama/dark comedy" about two estranged sisters attempting to bond while in search of their mysterious long-forgotten Uncle Jerry. Who may hold the key to their father's suicide and their family's unhappiness. One review says it's "an offbeat odyssey with outwardly small tangible stakes, but calamitous emotional ones..." The indie films stars Baize Buzan & Allison Torem as the two sisters, with Austin Pendleton, Tim Hopper, Guy Massey, Keith Kupferer, and Lance Baker. Not really sure if this one is worth a watch, but there's something strangely appealing about the awkward, tragic concept that got my attention. Take a look below. Here's...
- 8/27/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A nuanced and occasionally moving drama about an estranged family, Bradley Grant Smith’s Our Father features an arc that perhaps sounds too common: siblings take a road trip and along the way grow, but here, ending on a note of uncertainty. It may take a little too long for the film to reach that conclusion, but the journey allows sisters Beta (Baize Buzan) and Zelda (Allison Torem) to develop in ways that are rich and subtle even if the story lacks narrative efficiency. Perhaps the leisurely-paced journey and the tonal missteps are reflective of the circumstances Beta and Allison find themselves in, employing stints of indie quirk to put up a kind of barrier for the siblings to shield themselves with.
The film opens as Beta sleeps in her car and heads into her final day at an office job she’s just quit to pursue grad school. Having...
The film opens as Beta sleeps in her car and heads into her final day at an office job she’s just quit to pursue grad school. Having...
- 3/31/2021
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Chicago – Getting his debut film – “Our Father” – into the 2021 South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival was a major achievement for writer/director Bradley Grant Smith, and puts the spotlight on his emerging talent and perspective. Smith is also a musician … he provided the soundtrack for the film as well.
This film has a Chicago connection, as it is populated with theater folk from the Windy City and Goodman Theatre, which includes writer/director Smith. It’s the story of two sisters, Zelda (Allison Torem) and Beta (Baize Buzan), who are reunited when their father commits suicide. This begins a cavalcade of circumstances, including a bizarre encounter with their half brothers. The film takes place in a dream-like state, in which all the sister’s encounters become fodder for their status as women, and the men they come across. The great character actor Austin Pendleton makes a cameo as a key relative,...
This film has a Chicago connection, as it is populated with theater folk from the Windy City and Goodman Theatre, which includes writer/director Smith. It’s the story of two sisters, Zelda (Allison Torem) and Beta (Baize Buzan), who are reunited when their father commits suicide. This begins a cavalcade of circumstances, including a bizarre encounter with their half brothers. The film takes place in a dream-like state, in which all the sister’s encounters become fodder for their status as women, and the men they come across. The great character actor Austin Pendleton makes a cameo as a key relative,...
- 3/23/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
You may recognize Bradley Grant Smith as an actor from recent indie gems such as The Last Shift (2020) and Saint Frances (2019); you might know him as musician “Sad Brad Smith,” whose song “Help Yourself” was featured in Up in the Air (2009). Now, you’ll recognize him as writer/producer/director/composer of his first feature Our Father, which premiered at SXSW this past week.
Our Father follows a mismatched pair of sisters: Beta (Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird’s Baize Buzan) and Zelda (breakout Allison Torem). After their father’s suicide, the sisters rekindle their relationship and seek out their “religious nut” Uncle Jerry (Catch 22’s Austin Pendleton)—whom the rest of the family believes to be dead.…...
Our Father follows a mismatched pair of sisters: Beta (Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird’s Baize Buzan) and Zelda (breakout Allison Torem). After their father’s suicide, the sisters rekindle their relationship and seek out their “religious nut” Uncle Jerry (Catch 22’s Austin Pendleton)—whom the rest of the family believes to be dead.…...
- 3/23/2021
- by Dylan Kai Dempsey
- IONCINEMA.com
Chicago – The virtual/online 2021 SXSW Festival began on March 16th, and continues through March 20th. The independent films in the festival touch upon relationships, mother-to-society, sister-to-sister and adult-woman-to-younger-self. Three more film capsules are below.
There will be many advantages and unique opportunities through this event, centered as usual in Austin, Texas, including the keynote/speeches, conference sessions, music festival showcases, film festival screenings, world-class networking, online exhibitions, and the unexpected discoveries that are always a part of SXSW, all in a digital setting.
Our Father
Photo credit: SXSW.com
Films Of SXSW: Capsule Reviews
Click the title for film information and screening status …
Rating: 4.0/5.0
”I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking)” – Kelley Kali stars in and co-directs this stark reality smack involving the two Americas of rich and poor. Kali is Danny, a Los Angeles mother who is “camping” with her daughter and trying to negotiate a new apartment. The backstory is she is widowed,...
There will be many advantages and unique opportunities through this event, centered as usual in Austin, Texas, including the keynote/speeches, conference sessions, music festival showcases, film festival screenings, world-class networking, online exhibitions, and the unexpected discoveries that are always a part of SXSW, all in a digital setting.
Our Father
Photo credit: SXSW.com
Films Of SXSW: Capsule Reviews
Click the title for film information and screening status …
Rating: 4.0/5.0
”I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking)” – Kelley Kali stars in and co-directs this stark reality smack involving the two Americas of rich and poor. Kali is Danny, a Los Angeles mother who is “camping” with her daughter and trying to negotiate a new apartment. The backstory is she is widowed,...
- 3/19/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Namir Smallwood and Sidney Flanigan will star in “Rounding,” a new dramatic thriller from “Saint Frances” director Alex Thompson. “Rounding” follows a driven young medical resident (Smallwood) who transfers to a rural hospital for a fresh start. There, the demons of his past start to catch up to him when he becomes consumed by the case of a young asthma patient (Flanigan). The film was shot in secret in Chicago and just wrapped production.
Smallwood is an ensemble member at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He has also appeared in the television shows “Rust” and “Chicago Fire.” This is his feature film debut. Flanigan had critics raving with her work in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” a drama about a young woman’s efforts to obtain an abortion. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit nomination for best female lead and won prizes from the Boston Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle.
Smallwood is an ensemble member at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He has also appeared in the television shows “Rust” and “Chicago Fire.” This is his feature film debut. Flanigan had critics raving with her work in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” a drama about a young woman’s efforts to obtain an abortion. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit nomination for best female lead and won prizes from the Boston Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle.
- 3/5/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Fresh off the recent release of his poster for Shudder’s debut of George Romero’s “lost” film The Amusement Park, graphic designer Aleksander Walijewski has another new title utilizing a unique style that marries an old school Polish aesthetic with mainstream Hollywood gloss. It’s surely not going to be the last.
Our Father director Bradley Grant Smith hits the nail on the head when he tells us that, “Aleksander’s poster work appeals to me in general because he sees so deeply into each film’s psychology and then creates these revelatory, visual expansions of the film’s inner life—going way beyond a simple representation of the plot. One of the things I love about [his Our Father design] is how at a first, casual glance it almost looks like a Rorschach test, but then the faces start to come into focus [along with] the negative space between them. The more I look,...
Our Father director Bradley Grant Smith hits the nail on the head when he tells us that, “Aleksander’s poster work appeals to me in general because he sees so deeply into each film’s psychology and then creates these revelatory, visual expansions of the film’s inner life—going way beyond a simple representation of the plot. One of the things I love about [his Our Father design] is how at a first, casual glance it almost looks like a Rorschach test, but then the faces start to come into focus [along with] the negative space between them. The more I look,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
With most festivals moving full steam ahead, such as the recently wrapped Rotterdam and Sundance, the next two major ones on the calendar are Berlinale, which just unveiled its lineup, and South by Southwest, which has also dropped theirs.
Set to take place March 16-20, the 2021 Film Festival program has 75 features including 57 World Premieres, 3 International Premieres, 4 North American Premieres, 1 U.S. Premieres, 8 Texas Premieres and 53 films from first-time filmmakers + 84 Short Films including Music Videos, 5 Episodic Premieres, 6 Episodic Pilots, 20 Virtual Cinema projects, 14 Title Design entries, plus 30 Special Events.
“It’s been a year unlike any we’ve experienced, first marked by the cancellation of SXSW 2020,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “We feel privileged to have been able to pivot to SXSW Online and present a fantastic treasure trove of programming, including a pared down and wonderful selection of films that we know will delight, entertain and move our attendees. SXSW...
Set to take place March 16-20, the 2021 Film Festival program has 75 features including 57 World Premieres, 3 International Premieres, 4 North American Premieres, 1 U.S. Premieres, 8 Texas Premieres and 53 films from first-time filmmakers + 84 Short Films including Music Videos, 5 Episodic Premieres, 6 Episodic Pilots, 20 Virtual Cinema projects, 14 Title Design entries, plus 30 Special Events.
“It’s been a year unlike any we’ve experienced, first marked by the cancellation of SXSW 2020,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “We feel privileged to have been able to pivot to SXSW Online and present a fantastic treasure trove of programming, including a pared down and wonderful selection of films that we know will delight, entertain and move our attendees. SXSW...
- 2/11/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The South by Southwest Film Festival has rolled out its full programming line up, with high-profile new documentaries bolstering previously announced features.
For many in Hollywood, the last-minute cancellation of the Austin-based 2020 SXSW conference was a reality check about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. Global lockdowns followed, and a year later, the film portion of the cultural event is soldiering on.
“We feel privileged to have been able to pivot to SXSW Online and present a fantastic treasure trove of programming, including a pared down and wonderful selection of films that we know will delight, entertain and move our attendees,” said Janet Pierson, SXSW’s director of film.
Among the selection is “Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free,” featuring a 16mm footage archive of the late singer at work on his 1994 album “Wildflowers,” largely considered his best. The film is directed by Mary Wharton, and leans into SXSW’s reputation for top-tier music programming.
For many in Hollywood, the last-minute cancellation of the Austin-based 2020 SXSW conference was a reality check about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. Global lockdowns followed, and a year later, the film portion of the cultural event is soldiering on.
“We feel privileged to have been able to pivot to SXSW Online and present a fantastic treasure trove of programming, including a pared down and wonderful selection of films that we know will delight, entertain and move our attendees,” said Janet Pierson, SXSW’s director of film.
Among the selection is “Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free,” featuring a 16mm footage archive of the late singer at work on his 1994 album “Wildflowers,” largely considered his best. The film is directed by Mary Wharton, and leans into SXSW’s reputation for top-tier music programming.
- 2/10/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Kelly O’Sullivan, Romana Edith Williams, Charin Alvarez, Braden Crothers, Laura T. Fisher, Mary Beth Fisher, Francis Guinan, Max Lipchitz, Lily Mojekwu, Bradley Grant Smith, Jim True-Frost | Written by Kelly O’Sullivan | Directed by Alex Thompson
After earning the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and a Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice at the 2019 SXSW festival, I was expecting big things from this drama comedy.
Saint Frances follows the life of Bridget. A thirty four year old woman who has yet to achieve her career goal as a writer and her new job sees her as a nanny to six year old Frances. Frances doesn’t make it easy for her and an unwanted pregnancy as well as two mums who are struggling with their relationship, means that things get a bit complicated in her life.
Saint Frances covers alot of ‘current’ topics including same sex parents and abortion...
After earning the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and a Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice at the 2019 SXSW festival, I was expecting big things from this drama comedy.
Saint Frances follows the life of Bridget. A thirty four year old woman who has yet to achieve her career goal as a writer and her new job sees her as a nanny to six year old Frances. Frances doesn’t make it easy for her and an unwanted pregnancy as well as two mums who are struggling with their relationship, means that things get a bit complicated in her life.
Saint Frances covers alot of ‘current’ topics including same sex parents and abortion...
- 7/6/2020
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
Following the news they would open with the world premiere of Jordan Peele’s Us, the 2019 South by Southwest by Southwest Film Festival have announced their features and episodic premieres lineup.
Among the slate is a handful of our most-anticipated films of the year, including Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum, Chris Morris’s Four Lions follow-up The Day Shall Come starring Anna Kendrick, and Riley Stearns’ Faults follow-up The Art of Self-Defense. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart will premiere at the festival as will Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s new comedy formerly titled Flarsky.
“As we head into our 26th edition, we couldn’t be more excited to once again share a completely fresh SXSW 2019 slate with our uniquely smart and enthusiastic SXSW audience,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “As always, we looked for a wide range of work, contemplating scale, style, tenor and tone. We...
Among the slate is a handful of our most-anticipated films of the year, including Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum, Chris Morris’s Four Lions follow-up The Day Shall Come starring Anna Kendrick, and Riley Stearns’ Faults follow-up The Art of Self-Defense. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart will premiere at the festival as will Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s new comedy formerly titled Flarsky.
“As we head into our 26th edition, we couldn’t be more excited to once again share a completely fresh SXSW 2019 slate with our uniquely smart and enthusiastic SXSW audience,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “As always, we looked for a wide range of work, contemplating scale, style, tenor and tone. We...
- 1/16/2019
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced its feature lineup for the 2019 film festival, which will include Matthew McConaughey’s “The Beach Bum,” Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut “Booksmart” and Shia Labeouf’s “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”
Jordan Peele’s “Us” was previously announced as the festival’s Opening Night film.
Annabelle Attanasio’s “Mickey and the Bear,” starring Camila Morrone and James Badge Dale, “The Highwaymen” starring Kevin Coster, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates, Logan Marshall Green’s “Adopt a Highway” starring Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix, “The Day Shall Come” starring Anna Kendrick and Denis O’Hare, and “Villains” starring Bill Skarsgard and Maika Monroe have also been added to the lineup.
Also Read: SXSW 2019: Olivia Wilde, A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Katzenberg Among Featured and Keynote Speakers
Nearly 8,500 films were submitted this year. Feature films in the lineup screen in the following categories: Narrative Feature Competition,...
Jordan Peele’s “Us” was previously announced as the festival’s Opening Night film.
Annabelle Attanasio’s “Mickey and the Bear,” starring Camila Morrone and James Badge Dale, “The Highwaymen” starring Kevin Coster, Woody Harrelson and Kathy Bates, Logan Marshall Green’s “Adopt a Highway” starring Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix, “The Day Shall Come” starring Anna Kendrick and Denis O’Hare, and “Villains” starring Bill Skarsgard and Maika Monroe have also been added to the lineup.
Also Read: SXSW 2019: Olivia Wilde, A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Katzenberg Among Featured and Keynote Speakers
Nearly 8,500 films were submitted this year. Feature films in the lineup screen in the following categories: Narrative Feature Competition,...
- 1/16/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
The 26th edition of the SXSW Film Festival will feature movies directed by Harmony Korine and Olivia Wilde, an untitled romantic comedy starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron and a concert film with comedian Kathy Griffin.
The annual gathering in Austin, Texas, which starts on March 8, will open with Jordan Peele’s “Us,” which was previously announced. The thriller stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss.
There will be 102 features and TV episodes featured over nine days.
In recent years, SXSW has upped its game as a festival that covers a lot of ground. It reliably launches a few spring studio hits, such as last year’s “The Quiet Place” and “Blockers,” and also discovers under-the-radar storytellers. For attendees, there’s also keynote addresses with filmmakers and actors.
The standouts in this year’s lineup include Korine’s “The Beach Bum,” a much-anticipated comedy starring Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg and Zac Efron.
The annual gathering in Austin, Texas, which starts on March 8, will open with Jordan Peele’s “Us,” which was previously announced. The thriller stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss.
There will be 102 features and TV episodes featured over nine days.
In recent years, SXSW has upped its game as a festival that covers a lot of ground. It reliably launches a few spring studio hits, such as last year’s “The Quiet Place” and “Blockers,” and also discovers under-the-radar storytellers. For attendees, there’s also keynote addresses with filmmakers and actors.
The standouts in this year’s lineup include Korine’s “The Beach Bum,” a much-anticipated comedy starring Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg and Zac Efron.
- 1/16/2019
- by Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety Film + TV
"How far would you go to bring someone back?" Area 23a has debuted a trailer for an indie horror titled Dig Two Graves, from director Hunter Adams, which has been waiting for distribution for years. This film premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival way back in 2014, but is just now getting released in theaters March 2017. Dig Two Graves is a supernatural thriller about a young girl's obsession with her brother's death which leads her on a nightmarish journey where she is faced with a deadly proposition to bring him back. Samantha Isler stars as the lead, with Ted Levine, Danny Goldring, Troy Ruptash, Rachael Drummond, Dean Evans and Bradley Grant Smith. This looks fairly creepy, and probably forgettable. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Hunter Adams' Dig Two Graves, direct from YouTube: A supernatural thriller about the generational violence that plagues a small, backwoods town, set in the 1970s,...
- 2/22/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Plus: Oscar-nominated Rocky Star Burt Young joins comedy King Rat.
Shooting is about to wrap in Los Angeles on Matthew Currie Holmes’ directorial debut Traces starring Emmy-nominated Pablo Schreiber from Orange Is The New Black, Rick Springfield and Sosie Bacon. Ted Kroeber and Levin Lamb produce with Roger Goff the story about a one-hit wonder who rekindles his love for music when he produces a rising star’s album.
Burt Young, who earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for Rocky, and Austin Pendleton have joined the cast of comedy King Rat. Lauren Ashley Carter, Maura Kidwell, Tyler Ross and newcomers Bradley Grant Smith and Julien Hester also star in Henry Johnston’s story about the friendship between a commencement speaker and a college senior. Alex Thompson is producing while Ian Keiser, Leigh Jones, Stefan Cima and Pierce Cravens serve as executive producers. Production is underway in Greencastle, Indiana.
Shooting is about to wrap in Los Angeles on Matthew Currie Holmes’ directorial debut Traces starring Emmy-nominated Pablo Schreiber from Orange Is The New Black, Rick Springfield and Sosie Bacon. Ted Kroeber and Levin Lamb produce with Roger Goff the story about a one-hit wonder who rekindles his love for music when he produces a rising star’s album.
Burt Young, who earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for Rocky, and Austin Pendleton have joined the cast of comedy King Rat. Lauren Ashley Carter, Maura Kidwell, Tyler Ross and newcomers Bradley Grant Smith and Julien Hester also star in Henry Johnston’s story about the friendship between a commencement speaker and a college senior. Alex Thompson is producing while Ian Keiser, Leigh Jones, Stefan Cima and Pierce Cravens serve as executive producers. Production is underway in Greencastle, Indiana.
- 11/13/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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