Vertical has secured the North American, UK, and Ireland distribution rights for Found Footage: The Making of The Patterson Project, a horror-comedy feature directed by Max Tzannes (Et Tu). The film, co-written by Tzannes and David San Miguel, offers a subversive take on the found footage genre, blending laughs and scares in the tradition of mockumentaries like This is Spinal Tap and iconic horror films like The Blair Witch Project.
The story follows a group of acclaimed documentarians who embark on a journey to chronicle the efforts of a young filmmaker determined to create the world’s greatest found footage horror film. The film stars Brennan Keel Cook (The Pale Blue Eye), Chen Tang (Warrior), Erika Vetter (Somebody I Used to Know), and Dean Cameron (Straight Outta Compton, Summer School).
In a statement, Tzannes, who is also part of the creative collective Dirty Shot Clean (dsc), shared his excitement about the project. “Dirty Shot Clean was thrilled to collaborate with filmmakers whose genre-bending movies have had such a profound influence on our work,” he said. “We wanted to tell a story that celebrates and subverts the found footage tropes we all know and love, while also poking fun at the terrifying experience of making an independent horror film.”
Chad Villella, Tyler Gillett, and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, executive producers of the film, praised the project’s originality. “It’s a true challenge to innovate within a well-worn subgenre but the gents at Dirty Shot Clean have created something truly original, hilarious, scary and full of heart,” Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin said. “It’s a send-up of our favorite found footage tropes and a love letter to the process of indie filmmaking. We’re so honored to be a very tiny part of bringing this one to the masses.”
Villella added, “It is important to find the right partner to distribute an original movie with such a fun and unique tone, and we are thrilled to partner with Vertical to get as many eyeballs on DSC’s wild and wonderful movie as possible.”
Tony Piantedosi, Vertical’s SVP of Acquisitions, expressed his enthusiasm for the film: “Found Footage is a wildly original ride — it’s laugh-out-loud funny, full of heart, and laced with just the right amount of horror to keep you on edge … It’s rare to find a film that balances tone so well, and we knew from the first screening that this was something special. Vertical is thrilled to bring it to audiences.”
The deal was negotiated by Piantedosi and Rachel White, Manager of Acquisitions and Sales at Vertical, with UTA Independent Film Group representing the filmmakers. Dirty Shot Clean is represented by UTA, Gotham Group, and Ziffren Brittenham.
Produced by Tyler Friesen with Radio Silence presenting, the film is set for a limited theatrical release in North America on June 20th, followed by an on-demand release on June 24th in North America and June 30th in the UK.
