On the heels of a very successful world premiere at the Jersey Short Film Festival in early July and recently named an official selection at the Urban Arts Festival in Dallas, superhero comedy short S.Q.U.A.D. is taking the global festival circuit by storm, being named an official selection at Milan Shorts Film Festival in Italy, Paris International Short Festival in France, and Houston Comedy Film Festival . The film will have its West Coast premiere at Silicon Beach Film Festival in Los Angeles on Sept. 8.
The film, directed by Ethan Cyr, Dakota Holmes-Dodge, and Carlos Lavezzari, explores the issues of race, gender and class through the narrative and viewpoint of comic book superheroes. The film’s executive producer is Sheila Rothenberg, former longtime Project Manager at Works in Progress NYC and avid supporter of the arts.
“I’m so proud of the filmmakers of S.Q.U.A.D. and am thrilled for their recent success on the film festival circuit,” comments Rothenberg. “The film places the spotlight on many of the issues we are presently facing in our society and is a very important commentary on our world today. I am honored to be involved in the project.”
Trailer: https://youtu.be/5M9KEiwT5KQ
“We’re thrilled that S.Q.U.A.D. and its message are resonating with the global film community,” says Cyr. “We look forward to sharing our show with short film lovers and fans of the genre in Houston, Milan, Paris, and Los Angeles very soon.”
“S.Q.U.A.D. is the pilot episode of a series that addresses many of the societal issues we are facing in America today – racism, gender inequality, class differences, explored through the eyes of superheroes,” adds Lavezzari. “We hope to start production on the next episodes in the next few months.”
In the film, Watcher, played by Lavezzari, is a millionaire’s son by day, and superhero by night. Can a group of black men act as a force for good on behalf of a society that deems them less than human? The SQUAD finds out as they struggle with villainous syndicates, cults, and misguided vigilantes.
Other key characters in the short are superhero Squire (Jeremiah Porter), Recluse, the SQUAD’s computer specialist (Ruby McCollister), superhero Delta (Holmes-Dodge), and The Marquee aka White Man (Cyr), described as a super strong, Staten-Islander, convince of his righteousness. S.Q.U.A.D. (TV Movie) - IMDb
Future episodes will feature top influencers Kiana Vandenburg and Bianca Perez aka Yung Nihilist.
Directing team Cyr, Holmes-Dodge, and Lavezzari met as teenagers in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Together, they have been shooting, producing, and working together for over a decade, producing web series, television projects, and working on the crew for shows like Gossip Girl and The End Game.
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