EFM // 1091 Pictures has announced the acquisition of English-speaking territories for To The Moon, the directorial debut from actor-turned-director Scott Friend. The film, which is written, directed, and starring Friend, premiered in 2021 at NIGHTSTREAM and was in selection at the 2020 US in Progress industry showcase organized by Wroclaw’s American Film Festival, which later hosted the film’s international premiere.
To The Moon follows Dennis and Mia, a young couple who find their weekend retreat becomes a hallucinatory nightmare when Dennis’ estranged brother Roger arrives and begins to distort their senses.
Friend and Madeleine Morgenweck star as the young couple at the center of the film. Friend can notably be seen in Dan Sallitt’s Gotham Independent Film award-winning feature Fourteen and the two appeared together in Kevin Tran’s acclaimed indie mystery thriller The Dark End of the Street. Will Brill, best known for his roles in the popular TV series The OA and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as the indie horror hit The Eyes Of My Mother, rounds out the intimate cast of three.
A dysfunctional family study by way of psychological, psychedelic thriller that plays out under the weight of addiction and takes its three leads to darkly funny lows, the film takes the trope of the uninvited house guest and turns it into a metaphor for the fallout of trauma on the relationship between a young couple.
Lev Avery-Peck of 1091 Pictures says on the acquisition, “1091 is excited to take this psychedelic journey with Scott and Yellow Veil Pictures. Scott has done an incredible job with To The Moon and we know audiences are going to be entranced by this thrilling tale.”
To The Moon is produced by Cate Smierciak (Zia Anger’s My Last Film), Everett Hendler (Satan and Adam, The Dark End Of The Street), Stephanie Randall, David Formentin (The Eyes Of My Mother), and Gabriel Wilson.
“‘I’m so grateful that To The Moon has found a home at 1091, alongside some of my favorite filmmakers,” added Scott Friend. “This film was such a labor of love for everyone involved and I can’t wait for audiences to see the special work of our cast and crew.”
The deal was negotiated by Lev Avery-Peck for 1091 Pictures and Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick of Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers. 1091 Pictures’ films include Cartel Land and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and What We Do in the Shadows.
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