Dream in Nightmare, director Shatara Michelle Ford’s second film, will be released in theaters this summer in New York and Los Angeles, followed by a nationwide expansion. Lunette Films will lead the film’s booking and release strategy.
The film, which follows a group of queer friends in their mid-30s as they embark on a road trip, premiered at a series of U.S. and international film festivals, including Black Star, Berlin, and the Champs-Elysées Film Festival in Paris, where it won the Critics Award.
“‘Dreams in Nightmares’ is exactly the kind of film we are excited to bring to theaters,” Lunette founder Marca Manuel said in a statement. “There is a real need right now for stories that center on connection and community, and theater provides a way for that experience to resonate in a more deeply shared way.”
Starring Denny Benton, Sasha Compere, Charlie Barnett, and Jasmine Savoy Brown, the film blends humor and emotional depth while focusing on themes of chosen family and self-discovery. Ford previously directed the 2019 thriller Test Pattern.
“I’m a filmmaker because I love working in creative environments where collaboration with intelligent, brave, and highly skilled people is essential to every aspect of a given project,” Ford said in a statement. “Especially during this extremely difficult time for our industry, I wouldn’t expect anything less from our distribution approach. It’s rare for an independent filmmaker to have a relationship like this with a distribution company these days, and I’m pleased with the fact that we’re able to do this with Marca.”
“We were drawn to Lunette because of its filmmaker-first, highly collaborative approach,” producers Ping-Chun Liu and Naima Abed said in a statement. “They understand how to build intentional releases – releases that connect with audiences in meaningful ways and generate momentum beyond their opening weekend.”
Dreams in Nightmares was produced by Ford, Ping-Chun Liu of 120E Films, Naima Abed of Paradise City, Josh Peters and Robina Riccitiello of Spark Features, Ben Stillman of Virtual Entertainment, Ana Leoca of Tango, Adam Wyatt Tate, Chris Quintos-Cathcart and Tyler Bagley. Executive producers include Leah Buman and Tim Headington, Each Other Films’ Jacqueline W. Liu, Track Eight Pictures’ Annie Yang, and Verdant Films’ Yuhao Hsu, Emilie Georges, and Liska Ostojic.
