Eight independent films in the final stages of editing have been selected for the U.S. in Progress co-production forum at Tauron American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland.
The selection includes “Kate Might Die,” directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan. The film features Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Ken Jeong, and Zosia Mamet. The story follows a woman who balances a new career as a production designer, marathon training, and her husband’s rehab while facing a stage two breast cancer diagnosis. Morgan describes the project as a “tragicomedy about mortality, ambition and marriage,” noting it is based on a true story but is “weirder.” She stated she did not want to make a “cancer movie” that treated illness with kid gloves, adding, “Cancer is fucking terrifying. It is also awkward, messy, funny, sexual and surreal.”
Colin West’s “Outside of Cleveland” follows Max, played by Alex Wolff, who returns to his childhood home and wakes up as a teenager in 2009. The film features Jim Gaffigan and Sarah Wayne Callies. West said the film was born from a “strange mix of nostalgia, regret and possibility” after he helped his parents pack up his childhood home a few winters ago. He described the work as a “love letter and a farewell” about the lives people didn’t live.
Kristen Buckles Cantrell’s “Swim Fishy” stars Lola Kirke as a woman who becomes unexpectedly pregnant and travels with her estranged sister. Cantrell described the film as a story about “intergenerational family trauma” and how it shapes people.
Benjamin Chung-Ying Eckersley’s “Your Dad” follows Li, who visits New York for the first time to meet his son, Kun. The film marks the first role outside of China for Li Cong Xi. Eckersley stated the film grapples with what people strive to inherit and preserve, describing it as a “globally resonant story of family ties across borders and oceans.”
Oliver Edwin’s “Situation #64” stars Edwin alongside Hari Nef and Louisa Jacobson. The film focuses on a performance artist named Melissa who wants to explore her past relationship with her partner, Alex. Edwin stated he tried to examine the “sacrifice of intimacy for spectacle” through the lens of a performance artist. He noted the film includes his “very personal anxieties” about balancing art with a normal life.
“Scary New Year,” directed by Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti, is a slasher film about two childhood friends, Wendy and Peter. The directors stated they aimed to recreate the conditions and techniques of low-budget 80s slashers by shooting on 16mm and using a live burn scene. They described it as a slasher about friendship and the fear of growing up.
Jared Goodman’s “Buyback” is described by producer Daryl Freimark as a “suburban heist film told through the lens of a coming-of-age story.” The film follows three teenagers who steal firearms from neighbors to exploit a state-run gun buyback program. Freimark called it a “troubling look at how easily kids can access unsecured guns.” Goodman stated he wanted to weave a timely issue into a story that “organically evolves into a full-blown heist thriller.”
Urszula Śniegowska, director of the festival, said she feels like a “godmother, with a small, g” when a Polish company appears in the finishing credits of a project premiering at major festivals. She expressed hope that the platform will foster lasting collaborations between Polish and American producers.
TYPE: news
