“Dreams in Nightmares,” Shatara Michelle Ford’s sophomore film, will release theatrically in New York and Los Angeles this summer before a wider expansion across the country. Lunette Films will lead the film’s booking and release strategy.
The film, which follows a group of queer friends in their mid-30s as they embark on a road trip, first premiered across a string of U.S. and international festivals including BlackStar, Berlin and the Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, where it won a Critic’s Prize.
“‘Dreams in Nightmares’ is exactly the kind of film we’re excited to bring to theaters,” said Lunette founder Malkah Manouel in a statement. “There’s a real need right now for stories that center connection and community and theatrical offers a way for that experience to resonate in a deeper, shared way.”
Starring Denée Benton, Sasha Compère, Charlie Barnett and Jasmin Savoy Brown, the film blends humor and emotional depth while focusing around themes of chosen family and self-discovery. Ford previously directed the 2019 thriller “Test Pattern.”
“I am a filmmaker because I love working in creative environments where collaboration with smart, intrepid and highly-skilled individuals is essential to every aspect of a given project,” said Ford in a statement. “Especially at this extremely fraught time for our industry, I would expect nothing less from a distribution approach. It is rare these days for independent filmmakers to have this kind of a relationship with a distributor and I relish the fact that I get to do this with Malkah.”
“We were drawn to Lunette because of their filmmaker-first, highly collaborative approach,” said producers Pin-Chun Liu and Naïma Abed in a statement. “They understand how to build a release that’s intentional — one that connects with audiences in a meaningful way and creates momentum beyond opening weekend.”
“Dreams in Nightmares” was was produced by Ford, Pin-Chun Liu of 120E Films, Naima Abed of Paradise City, Josh Peters and Robina Riccitiello of Spark Features, Ben Stillman of Birchall Entertainment, Ana Leocha of Tango, Adam Wyatt Tate, Chris Quintos-Cathcart and Tyler Bagley. Executive producers include Lia Buman and Tim Headington, Jacqueline W. Liu of Each Other Films, Annie Yang of Track Eight Pictures, Yu-Hao Su of Verdant Films, Emily Georges and Liska Ostojic.
