Freeman Vines
Freeman Vines built his first guitar when he was a teenager. Now 82-years-old and battling multiple myeloma, he's desperately trying to make a guitar that can reproduce an elusive sound the instrument made decades ago. The search and his artwork took on even more significance a few years ago when Freeman acquired a stack of lumber from a tree used in the lynching of a young Black man named Oliver Moore.
In a narrow storefront shop in Fountain, a town of 130 souls in eastern North Carolina, Vines lives and hand-carves guitars (as well as other objects) that speak to his lifelong conflict with racism in this region. A portrait of a true fine artist, Freeman Vines has found a way to create while surviving in a complex world.
Film is currently in post-production.
For more info, contact producer Gill Holland.
The Grotto
When her fiance dies unexpectedly, Alice Kendall inherits half ownership of The Grotto, a struggling desert nightclub where she discovers eccentric performers and a heartbreaking secret. As Christmas approaches, Alice is on the brink of a leap of faith as forces both seen and unseen beckon her toward her future. This heartwarming film is the directorial debut of Joanna Gleason, the acclaimed stage and screen actress who won the Tony Award for her role as “The Baker’s Wife” in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods. Gleason wrote this story in remembrance of the friends she lost and wanted to tell the stories of women who feel they’re only a small part of someone else’s bigger story. Betsy Brandt (award-winning actress from Breaking Bad) will steal your heart as the aimless “Alice” who stumbles into this unexpected wonderland that becomes a healing sanctuary for lost souls. THE GROTTO also stars Dan Bucatinsky, Steve Kazee, Susan Sullivan, Jonathan Delarco, Michael Nouri, Caroline Aaron, Stephanie Hunt, Lindsay Mendez, Larry Sullivan.
CROSS COUNTRY
CROSS COUNTRY is the true story of Cross Coburn — the youngest person ever elected to the city council of his small Texas town — who must fight to defend his reputation and keep his council seat after nude photos are leaked to the media, igniting a scandal that makes national headlines and threatens to tear the community apart.
A classic David and Goliath story, set in modern day, small town Texas, CROSS COUNTRY is about the value of standing up for yourself against bullies, even though you might lose. In the spirit of such favorites as MOONLIGHT, BOY ERASED, PALMER, and TANGERINE, the film shines a light on the struggles
outsiders face in environments where conformity and similarity are rewarded.
Currently in development.
12 to 21
A coming-of-age drama that follows a young man from adolescence to adulthood as he navigates the challenges of sex, art, friends, and family in the decadent and turbulent 1980s in North Carolina. Attached talent: Austin McKenzie, Joelle Carter, Catherine Kellner. Currently in development. Written and Directed by Tim Kirkman
SOUTHERNMOST
Based on the bestselling novel by Kentucky poet laureate Silas House, SOUTHERNMOST is the story of Asher Sharp, a Tennessee preacher who has lost his job, his marriage and custody of his young son, Justin, and who flees to Key West with the child in hopes of flying under the radar long enough to find his estranged older brother. In Key West, Asher finds refuge and a job at a small inn where he befriends the bohemian owner, Bell, and a mysterious groundskeeper, Eva, who have secrets of their own. As the truth about his past is revealed, Asher must decide whether to keep running or face the consequences of his actions.
Currently in pre-production. Scheduled for production in Summer 2025.
Lazy Eye
Passions are ignited and secrets revealed when a graphic designer reconnects with the ex he hasn’t seen in over fifteen years. Starring Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Aaron Costa Ganis, Michaela Watkins, LAZY EYE screened in film festivals around the world and enjoyed a brief theatrical run before making its streaming premiere on Netflix. Winner of the Audience Awards at OUTSOUTH, the North Carolina LGBTQ Film Festival, and the Louisville (KY) LGBTQ Film Festival.
Latter Day Jew
LATTER DAY JEW is the story of H. Alan Scott, a gay former Mormon/converted Jew/cancer survivor/writer-comedian, who embarks on a new spiritual path and prepares for a Bar Mitzvah. The film features an appearance by comic Judy Gold, the film is distributed by Menemsha Films. Learn more about the film and this journey in THE PARTING SHOT podcast, which Scott hosts.
— OTHER WORK FROM THE T42 TEAM —
Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Antisemitism
In the Emmy Award-winning “Recipe for Change: Standing Up to Antisemitism,” hosts Idina Menzel, Ilana Glazer & Moshe Kasher are joined by Skylar Astin, Michael Ian Black, Rachel Bloom, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Tommy Dorfman, Alex Edelman, Hannah Einbinder, Jordan Firstman, Lori Gottlieb, Bryan Greenberg, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, Hari Nef, Josh Peck, Zac Posen, Ruth Reichl, Rachel Sumekh, and Michael Zegen for some amazing meals and timely chat. Together they celebrate their Jewish heritage, identity, & culture, and discuss the rise of antisemitism and its effects on the Jewish community. While they engage in their discourse, they also dine on delicious dinners prepared by esteemed chefs Nancy Silverton and Einat Admony, and culinary historian Michael Twitty. Rachel Dratch also joins the special episode as an on-the-street reporter, speaking with Jewish people and allies in New York City.
Loggerheads
Sundance Film Festival - Official Selection in the Dramatic Feature Competition.
Winner — OutFest (Grand Jury Prize), Nashville & Florida Film Festivals (Audience Awards).
Written and Directed by Tim Kirkman, starring Tess Harper, Michael Kelly, Kip Pardue, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Sarandon, Michael Learned and Robin Weigert. Produced by Gill Holland.
Dear Jesse
Winner — Frameline (Audience Award), Best Documentary Film of the Year (Boston Society of Film Critics). Emmy, Gotham and Independent Spirit Award Nominations.
Written and Directed by Tim Kirkman, Produced by Mary Beth Grealey, Executive Producer: Gill Holland.