Breaking Glass Pictures will make the revenge thriller Trucker available through digital home entertainment retail platforms beginning March 10.
Directed by Errol Sack and written by Steven Shaffer, Trucker follows a hardworking truck driver in 1985 whose life is shattered when his family is killed in a fiery crash caused by a group of reckless teens. Pulled from the wreckage and left for dead, he is mysteriously rescued and nursed back to health by an enigmatic old man living among the twisted remains of abandoned trucks. What follows is a relentless campaign of revenge as the trucker hunts down those responsible for destroying his life — forcing audiences to question where sympathy truly lies.
The cast includes Katherine Gibson, Dwayne Hilton Jr., Milo Hayden, Nicole Mattox, Dare Taylor, Lauren Parkinson, Chuck Cirino and Jim Palmer.
“With influences ranging from Friday the 13th and Joy Ride to I Know What You Did Last Summer, Trucker delivers a familiar yet ferocious experience that horror fans will instantly recognize,” Breaking Glass co-founder Richard Wolff said in a statement.
Sack calls the 1980s setting essential to the tension of the film, which is brought to life through practical stunts, visceral effects and a throwback genre sensibility.
“There were fewer technologies back then,” Sack said in a statement. “That limitation makes everything more interesting and more dangerous.”
Shaffer adds: “With Trucker, we also wanted to create something we could realistically produce — using locations, skills and props we already had access to.”
Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the Feb. 24 release, for digital purchase or rental, of the action-crime drama The Pressure 2, written, directed and produced by Gregory R. Edwards II.
Set against a backdrop of rising tension and fractured alliances, The Pressure 2 follows two street-savvy hustlers whose fragile truce collapses after a stolen shipment ignites a brutal turf war. What begins as a calculated power play spirals into a relentless chain reaction of betrayals, bullets and mounting heat from both rivals and law enforcement.
Leading the cast are Jarvis Allen as Bag and Rodricous Gates as Shoota. They are joined by Derolies Ivey (Dirt), Darryl James (KC Redd), and Rogelio Lorenzo (Officer Fence).
Director Edwards describes the film as a bold evolution of the genre: “Pressure 2 breaks away from the formula. With a raw and authentic presentation, it captures the everyday moments of urban street life, turning them into a creative journey that feels real, personal and unapologetically honest.”
Breaking Glass Pictures is set to release the provocative Danish drama Acts of Love across North American digital retail platforms Feb. 10.
Directed by Jeppe Rønde (Bridgend, Jerusalem Syndrome) and co-written by Rønde, Christopher Grøndahl, and Rasmus Birch, the film explores faith, repression and forbidden desire within a secluded spiritual community.
Acts of Love
Set in rural Denmark, the movie follows Hanna (Cecilie Lassen), a young woman raised in a New Age Christian commune whose carefully ordered world begins to unravel when her estranged brother Jakob (Jonas Holst Schmidt) unexpectedly returns. His arrival stirs long-buried memories and challenges the community’s strict beliefs, forcing Hanna to confront secrets that test her faith, her family, and her sense of self.
Balancing psychological intensity with emotional restraint, the film offers a haunting meditation on religious devotion, familial bonds, and the devastating cost of repression.
The cast also includes Cecilie Lassen (Rita), Jonas Holst Schmidt (The Hunt), Ann Eleonora Jørgensen (Italian for Beginners), Henrik Birch (Borgen) and Ella Josephine Lund Nilsson.
“Acts of Love is a powerful, unsettling, and deeply moving exploration of faith and forbidden love,” Rich Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass Pictures, said in a statement. “It’s the kind of daring international cinema we’re proud to bring to North American audiences.”
MIAMI — NATPE Global closed its three-day run Feb. 7 with high marks from attendees, who noted that the second annual content marketplace produced by Brunico Communications — which bought the show and other assets from the National Television Programming Executives out of bankruptcy two years ago — was significantly bigger and better than last year’s inaugural show at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami.
“NATPE was great this year,” said Richard Wolff, president of Breaking Glass Pictures. “There was plenty of good business to be closed, and buyers and sellers were in sync. NATPE is so much improved from the past. We are booking 2026 immediately.”
“NATPE is a great venue for meeting with our existing streaming partners and for finding new prospective streamers,” said Ed Seaman, CEO of MVD Entertainment Group. “We’ve had some really productive meetings and uncovered new opportunities for our vast catalog. What I didn’t expect was the number of content providers who asked about opportunities through MVD with physical goods.
“Many have been dabbling with MOD, but more and more recognize that collectible content that is given some attention and care performs extremely well on Blu-ray Disc or 4K Ultra HD, and that there is still a great DVD business left. So we are coming away with a bonus from NATPE this year.”
And yet some attendees expressed concerns about the strength of the business, particularly the FAST channel segment, where CPMs are down and audience growth continues to outpace advertising revenues.
“There was a bit of a nervous overtone as this business, especially within the indie segment, tries to navigate the new road map for success,” said Mitch Mallon, president of Stadium Media, who advocates digital transactional as a far better first window for independent films and shows.
This year’s NATPE Global was co-located with the Realscreen Summit, which began two days earlier and is focused on reality and other unscripted programming.
NATPE Global attendance was up 18% to 1,766, representing 55 countries, with 750 of them buyers. The Realscreen Summit drew 1,244 delegates, up 15% from the prior year. Delegates represented 28 countries, with 78% from North America and 16% from Europe.
Nearly 600 delegates attended both events.
NATPE Global had been produced, since 1979, by the NATPE trade group, but financial losses incurred by the cancellation of the show during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the organization to file for bankruptcy. Brunico Communications, the Toronto-based producer of the Banff World Media Festival, staged its first NATPE Global event in Miami a year ago.
One highlight of the event was the NATPE Global Pitch Showcase, a platform for emerging as well as established filmmakers to showcase their projects to key industry executives. The top prize: $10,000 worth of library music from Slipstream.
The winner of the 2025 competition was “Sweet and Sore,” a half-hour comedy series created and written by Reem Morsi and produced by Adani Pictures. The series revolves around Farida, an ambitious Egyptian waxing lady and community marriage broker in Toronto who dreams of climbing the social ladder. Determined to keep her new affluent friends from discovering her true social status, she finds herself entangled in a comedic whirlwind when she falls in love with a man above her station.
“Sweet and Sore” received development financing from the Canada Media Fund.
Popular panels at the show included the “Streaming+ Breakfast,” in which speakers, focusing on FAST, noted the growing importance of proper windowing as well as content curation to boost discoverability.
At the same time, speakers said, FAST channel operators need to do a better job of marketing and sharing data to show advertisers how many viewers they reach, and how loyal those viewers are, as viewer growth continues to outpace monetization.
Also drawing a full house was “The Streaming Wars Are Over. Welcome to the Great Media War,” in which Evan Shapiro — who conference organizers describe as a “media cartographer and provocateur” — told attendees that the coming battle for eyeballs is pitting legacy media companies against creators — and the creator economy, which relies chiefly on platforms controlled by big tech companies, is winning.
Independent film distributors, whose target audience primarily watches movies at home, are gearing up for the annual American Film Market (AFM), which starts its six-day run today (Oct. 31) at Le Méridien Delfina Santa Monica (530 Pico Blvd.).
Andreas Olavarria, president and CEO of Level 33 Entertainment, said he’s “looking to meet with sales agents and discover some good feature films for our 2024 slate of theatrical and on-demand releases. We are open to content in all genres, but typically look for movies with a strong hook and known cast/elements. We also are selling several wonderful feature films from festivals like Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca at the market this year.
Olavarria said he’s attended AFM for more than a decade “and bought many films over the years. We acquired the movie Simmer from Sublimity Entertainment, and it went on to air on HBO and Max after a successful VOD and DVD release. Deadly Cuts is a film we acquired from Myriad Picture at AFM, and it is currently on Showtime and Paramount+. We were approached last year by the director of the award-winning film Waikiki, which will be released in select theaters in November and on demand beginning in December.”
Ed Seaman
Ed Seaman, CEO of MVD Entertainment Group, a family-run business that has been releasing music and film to home viewers since 1986, also will be at AFM 2023.
“It is a great opportunity to spend face-to-face time with clients and customers, to have some time to be cerebral and creative with our trade partners,” Seaman said. “We are not so much looking to buy films here but strengthen our relationships, and build new ones. So often we think we know what our trade partners do until we have some unstructured time, and we find there are new ways we can help each other.”
Another indie who will be at AFM this year is Richard Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass Pictures, which licenses about 30 titles a year and produces 10 films annually for worldwide distribution. “Yes, we are attending from the beginning to the last day,” Wolff said. “We’re looking for films of all genres – we’re hoping to secure about a dozen pictures.”
Wolff, too, is a longtime regular at AFM, “beginning when the market was in February. We always made great deals, as this is the last market of the year. I’m curious to see how the new venue fares – and the condition of the elevators!”
Bill Sondheim will also be at AFM this year. A veteran home entertainment executive who once was president of PolyGram Video when the company was approaching the ranks of the majors, he now runs Greenfield Media LLC, a content consulting company that helps content creators find distribution and financing for their films before they are made, helps producers develop and package films, and represents films already made for licensing deals.
“I am going to AFM and looking forward to a busy few days,” Sondheim said. “I have several films at various stages of development that I will be pitching to distributors. I also represent some distribution companies, and I will meet with program suppliers that might benefit from added distribution capabilities. This show allows me to meet with dozens of content companies in a pleasant and convenient meeting area.”
Bill Sondheim
Sondheim said he’s gone to AFM “for many years and always found it productive. Last year I sold two films as a producer that started with dialogs at AFM. I also got a new representation deal due to meetings at last year’s AFM. Going to the show is a very productive time.
Mitch Mallon, the founder and CEO of Stadium Media, also is attending the show. “We attend to continually measure where the business is and possibly progressing to, as well as to meet and establish initial relationships with some of the newer suppliers from the United States and around the globe.”
Stadium Media is a global distribution company established in 2015 with a catalog of over 400 titles. Mallon and his team work directly with most digital and OTT platforms throughout North America “and the ever-expanding global digital landscape,” Mallon said.
“I have been attending AFM since our launch and have met, and developed relationships with, several suppliers that we still work with to this day in releasing digitally. AFM is where I began to formalize what Stadium Media might become.”
Absent from AFM this year is Michael Rosenberg of Film Movement. “We went last year, but decided to skip it this year,” he said. “We’re in regular contact with everyone and saw a bunch of sales agents in Venice, at TIFF, and in Karlovy Vary. Also, we have a lot of films in the pipeline already at this time.”
Another no-show is Dan Gurlitz, the founder of Soundview Media Partners, which specializes in independent films as a sales agent, represents films for non-theatrical exhibition licensing, and publishes The Sound View: Independent Film Digest, a monthly publication focused on the release of unique films, both classic and contemporary.
AFM, he said, “is not a show that caters to the kind of films Soundview Media Partners traditionally specializes in. More importantly, business has been extraordinarily strong. Leads and new clients come in mostly via word of mouth, so there’s little need to attend a show like this at this time.”
AFM 2023 has lined up 245 exhibitors, according to organizers. Film screenings will be held at theaters throughout Los Angeles, while the AFM’s conference series will take place at The Hilton Santa Monica Hotel (1707 4th St).
The exhibitor list features independent film and TV production, sales and distribution companies as well as national pavilions from China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. International trade organizations, film commissions and production service companies also have a significant presence as part of this year’s enhanced LocationEXPO exhibition, according to organizers.
Registrants include buyers from more than 65 countries, according to organizers.
Breaking Glass Pictures has announced home release dates for Nana’s Boys, an LGBTQ+ film from director Ashton Pina (In the Paint, 2017).
The film will be released digitally, on demand, through Vudu, Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes/Apple TV, Vimeo, and local cable and satellite providers on Feb. 7, and on DVD on Feb. 28.
Nana’s Boy is the story of Amari, who, on the morning of his 30th birthday, struggles to make a decision on what’s next and questions his purpose in life. The day takes a rattling turn when an explosion cuts off utilities across New York City, forcing the city into a mandatory lockdown. Amari’s relationship with his partner Q is tested as the couple grapples with memories of the past that could shatter their plans altogether.
Starring David J. Cork (P-Valley) and Jared Wayne Gladly (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), the film had its world premiere at the 2022 Inside Out Film Festival. It went on to play at Reeling 2022: The 40th Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, Newfest, aGLIFF’s Prism LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and Out on Film Atlanta, and took home the Best Narrative Feature award at both the Black Alphabet Film Festival and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival.
Breaking Glass Pictures has released Waking Up Dead, an LGBTQ+ dark comedy from writer and director Terracino (Elliot Loves), to home audiences.
The film is available on DVD and through various digital platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, Vimeo, as well as cable and satellite providers.
Starring Gabriel Sousa and former adult actress Traci Lords, Waking Up Dead tells the story of washed-up actor Danny Maldonado, whose once-promising Hollywood career has flatlined. When he receives a call to audition for the lead role in the most talked about new series in Hollywood, Danny vows to clean up his act.
Waking Up Dead had its World Premiere at Cinema Diverse / Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, where it took home multiple awards, including Festival Favorite and Director’s Choice.
Breaking Glass Pictures this week has released Give or Take, an award-winning comedy from director Paul Riccio, to home audiences following a limited theatrical run in Los Angeles and New York.
The film is available on DVD and through digital retailers.
Give or Take stars two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz alongside Jamie Effros, Joanne Tucker and “Saturday Night Live” alum Cheri Oteri. The film is a portrait of a son’s journey to understand and accept the complexities of his father.
Give or Take has been hailed by the Austin Chronicle as a “genial dramedy reminiscent of Zach Braff’s Garden State,” while Screen Queens calls it “a touching depiction of bereavement and contemplation of identity.”
Riccio in a press release said his film “is the definition of a comedy with heart. It’s a detailed and authentic narrative, affording real depth to the regret, resentment and misunderstanding that can take shape around a loved one’s death.”
Effos portrays Martin, a pragmatist who on the surface lives an acceptable life but still feels disconnected, especially from his father, Kenneth, a distant man Martin could never figure out. Their relationship got more complicated when Kenneth came out after his wife died. For the first time, he was able to live openly and honestly as a gay man. He found love with a younger man, his lawn guy, Ted (Butz), and they’d been living together in Ken’s house on Cape Cod ever since. When Kenneth dies, Martin goes home to sell the house while sharing it with Ted. Grieving, they circle each other, butt heads, and negotiate how to remember the different man they both loved, and the significance of what he left behind.
Give or Take premiered at the Woods Hole Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature, and went on to play numerous other festivals including the Monmouth Film Festival, where it won Best Narrative Feature; Out on Film Atlanta, winning two awards for Best Ensemble and Best Screenplay; the Port Townsend Film Festival, where it won Best Feature; Out at the Movies, where it was honored with Best Screenplay and the Audience Award for Best Feature; and FilmOut San Diego, where Butz took home Best Supporting Actor.
Breaking Glass Pictures Dec. 7 will release season three of the French LGBTQ series “Woke” on DVD and various digital platforms.
Created by Sullivan Le Postec, Woke: Season 3 picks up when Thibaut (Eric Pucheu) saves a Chechen refugee from a nearly fatal trap, and in the process discovers a trial program for human rights protection that has provided shelter for several people in Europe.
Hicham (Mehdi Meskar), meanwhile, returns to his tower-block neighborhood in Saint Étienne after a relative is killed in a fight with the police. Both are in a race against time.
Thibaut has to discover the mole inside the European institutions in order to save the lives of those protected by the European program, while Hicham has to reveal the truth about his cousin’s death and fight the fake news about the case, which is spreading and threatening their actions.
Woke: Season 3 will be available digitally on iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, Vudu and Vimeo.
Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the Oct. 12 home release of On the Fringe of the Wild, an LGBTQ drama that marks the directorial debut from Emma Catalfamo.
The film will be available on DVD and VOD, the latter on such platforms as iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, DirecTV, and through various local cable and satellite providers.
Starring Harrison Browne, Cameron Stewart and Mikael Melo, On the Fringe of Wild serves as an early 21st century snapshot of queer adolescent boys on the verge of growing up into men and discovering their authentic selves. A “Romeo and Juliet” stylized romance between two teenage boys, the film is set in a small Ontario town, where love does not win, but the surviving players grow to accept themselves as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The film had its world premiere at the OUTShine Miami Film Festival in April 2021, and saw its California premiere at FilmOut San Diego in September.
Directed by Errol Sack and written by Steven Shaffer, Trucker follows a hardworking truck driver in 1985 whose life is shattered when his family is killed in a fiery crash caused by a group of reckless teens. Pulled from the wreckage and left for dead, he is mysteriously rescued and nursed back to health by an enigmatic old man living among the twisted remains of abandoned trucks. What follows is a relentless campaign of revenge as the trucker hunts down those responsible for destroying his life — forcing audiences to question where sympathy truly lies.
Set against a backdrop of rising tension and fractured alliances, The Pressure 2 follows two street-savvy hustlers whose fragile truce collapses after a stolen shipment ignites a brutal turf war. What begins as a calculated power play spirals into a relentless chain reaction of betrayals, bullets and mounting heat from both rivals and law enforcement.
Nana’s Boy is the story of Amari, who, on the morning of his 30th birthday, struggles to make a decision on what’s next and questions his purpose in life. The day takes a rattling turn when an explosion cuts off utilities across New York City, forcing the city into a mandatory lockdown. Amari’s relationship with his partner Q is tested as the couple grapples with memories of the past that could shatter their plans altogether.
Breaking Glass Pictures has released Waking Up Dead, an LGBTQ+ dark comedy from writer and director Terracino (Elliot Loves), to home audiences.
Breaking Glass Pictures Dec. 7 will release season three of the French LGBTQ series “Woke” on DVD and various digital platforms.
Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the Oct. 12 home release of On the Fringe of the Wild, an LGBTQ drama that marks the directorial debut from Emma Catalfamo.