Finding Carlos, the holiday movie I directed last fall, has secured a theatrical and streaming distribution deal with Vertical Entertainment. The film, made entirely here in Oklahoma, will debut in theaters around the country next fall, then move to streaming services for the 2022 holiday season.
Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor based in Santa Monica. They are known for helping independent films break through the clutter and find a theatrical audience. In September, Vertical Entertainment released the movie Wild Indian, which was filmed in Oklahoma with Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth, and Michael Greyeyes. That film debuted at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Vertical for distribution.
We chose to partner with Vertical Entertainment because they tend to attract films that win awards, which means independent theaters and theater chains are more likely to give their films a chance. Vertical won a Gotham Award for Best Actress for Nicole Beharie’s role in Miss Juneteenth, a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for Molly Shannon’s role in Other People, and three more Indie Spirit nominations for Other People, including Best Lead Actor for Jesse Plemons, who is the star of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
Finding Carlos is a feature-length family film about a skateboarding teenager named Carlos who is reunited with his father Dross, a famous choreographer creating a modern version of The Nutcracker. The film is co-written and produced by Melissa Scaramucci, and choreographed and produced by Hui Cha Poos, who created RACE Dance Collective’s Hip Hop Nutcracker on which the movie is based.
Maximus White, a seventeen-year-old senior at Classen SAS, plays the lead role of Carlos. His love interest is played by Layla Rickman, his classmate at Classen SAS. Carlos’ father Dross is played by Michael Andreus, an Oklahoma native who recently starred on Broadway in the Tony award winning A Soldiers Play, and is now touring with the national tour of Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, the story of the Temptations. Professional dancers Emmett Prince and Chris Shepard are the lead dancers in the film. And, several outstanding theater actors round out the cast, including Jonathan Beck Reed, Kris Schinske, and Jennifer Teel.
The film includes original music from Tulsa based musician Bobby Moffett, Jr. and modern versions of classic Nutcracker songs from the original Tchaikovsky score. The classic songs have been reinterpreted in different musical styles, including hip hop, jazz, rap, and Mexican Ballet Folkloric. Local hip hop artist Jabee, who recently won Paseo Arts Districts 2021 Artist of the Year, co-produced the album and plays the rapping narrator of the film. Branjae, a modern jazz artist from Tulsa, sings the theme song Do Something New in her on-camera role as Sugar Plum.
In creating Finding Carlos, we employed 11 choreographers, 70 dancers, 30 actors and 20 film crew members, all from Oklahoma, during the height of the pandemic. Landing this distribution deal ensures that all of their hard work and creativity will be enjoyed by people across the country next Christmas. For that, I am very grateful. Happy Thanksgiving.
