Bearing Fruit from the 8 Above Distribution Lab
Today, we are highlighting some recent accolades and successes of current and past cohorts from the 8 Above Distribution Lab.
ICYMI: Our free May webinar: Building Your Audience Before Your Release - Case Study for "1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture" is coming up next week. Some of what we’ll cover: How to strategically grow your audience before your film is finished and using social media and live events for both funding and promotion.
Thursday, May 29th 11am PT/2pm ET.
We hope to see you there.
As you probably know - I started a distribution lab in late 2023 as a collaborative environment to mentor filmmakers to develop and execute distribution and marketing strategies to succeed in today’s complex film ecosystem. It has become so popular that we had to split the current cohort into two sections - 8 films in the doc lab and 8 films in the fiction lab. Recently there has been a spurt of activity from lab projects from current and previous cohorts so I decided to share the love in this post. To find out more about the Distribution Lab and get on the waitlist for the next incarnation - click here.
To Kill a Wolf Earns Spot on Popcorn List
Kelsey Taylor’s To Kill a Wolf has been selected for this year’s Popcorn List an annual spotlight put together by Lela Meadow-Conner and Barbara Twist to highlight independent films recommended by festival programmers across the US that are currently without traditional domestic distribution. Kelsey and her producer Adam Lee won a 10 city theatrical release with Regal through winning Film Fest Knox. They are using the current cohort of 8 Above’s Distribution Lab to strategize for their theatrical release and digital releases later this year.
The film is still on the festival circuit and will screen next at the Berkshires International Film Festival on Saturday, May 31st at 7pm, and you can sign up for updates on their website as they gear up for a theatrical release in August!
Outdoor School World Premiere at American Black Film Festival
Outdoor School, a deeply moving feature from Ime Etuk—a member of our very first Distribution Lab cohort—will have its world premiere at the American Black Film Festival in Miami on June 11, 2025.
Based on a true story from the NY Times best selling Moth compilations, Outdoor School tells the transformative true story of Vin, a boy who must learn how to be a child before he can truly grow.
In partnership with his Non Profit, Lion Speaks, Ime Etuk, used the production of Outdoor School to provided dozens of paid training opportunities to POC. The organization amplifies Black narratives in the media and entertainment realm, while also championing the broader BIPOC community. Their purpose is to elevate stories from diverse heritages and empower creators with mentorship, training, and job opportunities.
Can You Stand The Rain World Premiere at the American Black Film Festival
Another premiere at this years ABFF: Eden Marryshow, another member of the current lab cohort, is set to premiere his latest feature, Can You Stand The Rain, at this year’s American Black Film Festival in Miami on Friday, Friday, June 13 @1:45 PM.
In the film, a group of lifelong friends reunite after the sudden death of their childhood anchor, only to confront buried dreams, hidden tensions, long-held regrets — and the truth about who they’ve become… and who they still might be. The film stars a wonderful ensemble cast: the film stars Devale Ellis, Eden Marryshow, Celestine Rae, Jasmin Walker, Brandhyze Stanley, Analisa Velez, and Stephen Conrad Moore.
Love Chaos Kin Premieres at CAAMFest on Mother’s Day!
Also in our current lab cohort, LOVE CHAOS KIN, is a deeply personal and provocative feature documentary by Chithra Jeyaram which premiered on Mother’s Day at CAAMFest.
Filmed over 12 years, LOVE CHAOS KIN follows white-presenting fraternal twins and their South Asian adoptive mother as they reconnect with their birth mother and estranged Navajo birth father. Through intimate, longitudinal storytelling, the film leans into discomfort, revealing hard truths about race, class, guilt, identity, and family.
The East Coast premiere is coming up at the Brooklyn Film Festival on May 31st at 7:00 pm, as one of just ten feature documentaries selected this year. More info & tickets here.
V13 Premieres to Sold-Out Audience at IFC Center
V13, the latest feature from Richard Ledes— another Distribution Lab Alumni from our first cohort—made its theatrical debut to a sold-out crowd at IFC Center in New York this April with multiple screenings in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Upcoming screenings are scheduled in Chicago, London, and New York, with more to be announced.
Vienna, 1913, Europe is on the brink of WWI. Two young men become friends: Hugo, a musician from a privileged family, tries psychoanalysis with Sigmund Freud, played by Alan Cumming in an outstanding performance. Adolf, a struggling artist, obsessed with vegetarianism, falls in love with German Nationalism.
V13 has upcoming screenings in:
Chicago on May 22nd at 7:00pm at Beverly Arts Center - Get tickets
London on May 28th at 6:00pm - Freud Museum London - Get Tickets
V13 is also now available to stream on Prime Video, Vimeo on Demand, Apple TV, and Fandango.
The Invisible Mammal Wins Audience Choice Award at Doc Lands
The Invisible Mammal, from our current Distribution Lab cohort, had a sold-out world premiere at Doc Lands Documentary Film Festival—and took home the Audience Choice Award.
This feature-length documentary produced by Matt Podolsky and Holly Mosher directed by Kristin Tieche follows an all-female team of scientists who are working to save bats from a deadly fungal disease that could lead to their extinction.
If you want to stay updated on future screenings, or if you're a bat enthusiast (or just curious) and want to host a screening click here:
World Premiere: American Dendrite Flows Into Lighthouse International Film Festival
Last, we have the world premiere of American Dendrite by Adam Marshall Present—also in the current Lab cohort. The film will debut on June 5th at the Lighthouse International Film Festival. Shot entirely on vintage Super 8mm, American Dendrite journeys down the Mississippi River system from Chicago to the Louisiana Bayou, weaving together reflections on climate, culture, and consciousness.
Until next time,
Jon.