EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has an exclusive first clip from All Happy Families, a dysfunctional family dramedy exec produced by Michael Shannon that is making its world premiere at the 59th Chicago Film Festival on October 12th.
Starring Josh Radnor, Becky Ann Baker, Rob Huebel, Chandra Russell and John Ashton, the film will there participate in the Comedy section, also competing for the Chicago Award, which is presented to the best feature, short or documentary project based in the Windy City or made by a Chicago filmmaker. (This one, from Chicago native Haroula Rose, happens to meet both conditions.)
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Directed by Rose from her script written with Coburn Goss, the film, which we were first to report on last fall, is a portrait of family dysfunction in which the competitive Landry brothers (Radnor, Huebel) reunite to fix up their childhood home over the course of one eventful weekend. Graham (Radnor), who currently resides in the house, wishes his life was in a far better place — especially since he’s reconnected with his college crush, Dana (Russell). Sue (Baker) is looking forward to the next chapter in her life, at least until an incident at her retirement party forces her to question everything — including marriage to the complacent Roy (Ashton). Then, when Will (Huebel), the television star, arrives, what starts out as a benign family get-together ends up spiraling out of control as some shocking news threatens to tear everything apart. The film co-stars Antoine McKay, David Pasquesi, Colleen Camp and Rodney Crowell.
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Also an official selection at the Mill Valley Film Festival and Naples Film Festival, among others, the film is produced by Liz Cardenas, Goss, Ian Keiser and Mary Munez. Additional executive producers include Chicago Media Angels, Neon Heart Productions, Sue Berghoef, Marshall Cordell, Attic Light, Milan Chakraborty and Vance Howard.
“I love filming in my hometown,” Rose told Deadline. “There’s so much talent here and it’s such a cinematic city. We were looking for ways to showcase that through a character piece and we’re so grateful to have such an incredible cast and crew to bring this script to life.”
Stated co-writer Goss, “As a longtime local working actor, I’m honored to have this film premiere in Chicago – and at CIFF, which has been such a creative touchstone for me throughout the years.”
“It brings me great satisfaction to help make this project come to fruition and to see film production in Chicago,” added pic’s EP Shannon. “This is a fantastic character driven story and really true to the aesthetic of this city that means so much to me.”
Rose’s first feature, the indie drama Once Upon a River, watches as a girl must embarks on an odyssey on the Stark River to find her estranged mother after her father is killed. The multi-talented creative has also helped produce such films as Fruitvale Station, Heaven Adores You, and Permanent, and composed music for numerous films and TV series. She’s currently in development on a road movie, to be produced by Bona Fide and Nancy Utley, as well as a thriller in her other homeland of Greece.
All Happy Families‘ premiere on the 12th will take place at the AMC Newcity 14 in Chicago. Check out the clip, featuring Radnor and Huebel’s brothers bickering at a bar, above.
