Gravitas Ventures has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to Sheridan O’Donnell’s debut film “Little Brother,” which stars Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”), Phillip Ettinger (“First Reformed”), Oscar winner JK Simmons (“Whiplash”) and Polly Draper (“Thirtysomething”). The film is scheduled for release in September 2024.
Little Brother begins after Pete (Ettinger) attempts suicide, prompting his overprotective father Warren (Simmons) to convince his little brother Jake (Diemer) to drive Pete from Albuquerque to Seattle for a family intervention. The brothers aren’t just oil and water, they’re fire and gasoline – and they’re both crammed into a broken-down van for 1,400 miles with nowhere to hide. As they traverse the American West, the two struggle to reconcile their past and build a new bond.
The film, which won the Audience Award at the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival, is a very personal affair for writer-director O’Donnell, who was partly inspired by his friend’s suicide. “I wrote the film to capture her warmth and humor and to try to understand her mental health journey. I hope all of this touches viewers deeply,” he said in a statement. “We are grateful to Gravitas Ventures for supporting the film and are excited to partner with them to bring ‘Little Brother’ to audiences.”
Bill Guentzler, Senior Vice President of Acquisition and Operations at Gravitas Ventures, said, “Gravitas is excited to bring Little Brother to audiences in September. Filmmaker Sheridan O’Donnell brilliantly directs Daniel Diemer and Philip Ettinger, bringing out the raw, sincere, honest and deep emotions that only two brothers with deep affection for each other can have.”
Bill Guentzler of Gravitas Ventures negotiated the deal with Bill Straus of Bridge Independent.
