Watching Mr. Pearson Kicks Off Nationwide Grassroots Theatrical Release Rooted in Community Engagement, Compassion, Care, and Indie Spirit

 A national, community-driven theatrical rollout begins this week for Watching Mr. Pearson, an intimate and emotionally resonant feature redefining independent film distribution through direct audience connection, grassroots outreach, and filmmaker presence in theaters across the country.

Produced by Boston-based KT Pictures and Hedy Films, Watching Mr. Pearson marks the first theatrical release from the emerging creative partnership behind the SXSW-premiered genre film Imposters. While Imposters signals the collective’s range in bold, cinematic storytelling, Watching Mr. Pearson represents the heart of their mission: human-centered filmmaking grounded in empathy, connection, and lived experience.

The film stars Hugo Armstrong (Lucky, Coherence), delivering a deeply layered performance as Robert Pearson, a once-celebrated actor navigating the disorienting realities of memory loss. He is joined by Sam Bullington (Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2), Zainab Jah (All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Only Murders in the Building), Dominika Zawada, and Luis Rizo, forming a richly textured ensemble that brings emotional authenticity and nuance to the film’s exploration of caregiving, identity, and human connection.

Synopsis
Watching Mr. Pearson follows two caregivers, Caroline and Miguel, as they share responsibility for Robert Pearson, a brilliant but fading actor struggling with cognitive decline. While Miguel focuses on routine and stability, Caroline forms a more imaginative and emotionally immersive bond with Pearson, stepping into scenes from his past to keep him engaged and connected. As their approaches begin to clash and the line between performance and reality blurs, both caregivers must confront what it truly means to care for someone at the edge of memory, identity, and self.

More than a film, Watching Mr. Pearson is launching as a national grassroots movement, with a distribution strategy built on direct, human connection and a belief that meaningful cinema can live beyond traditional release models.

The rollout has been intentionally shaped through outreach to senior communities, nursing professionals, and memory care organizations, creating space for the film to resonate with those closest to its themes. At the same time, the campaign is engaging faith-based communities through the film’s message of compassion, presence, and care, while maintaining an open, inclusive approach that welcomes audiences of all backgrounds into the conversation.

In parallel, the release has become a point of engagement for the film and media studies community, offering a real-time case study in independent distribution. The team’s hands-on, “build it from the ground up” approach, marked by direct theater relationships, local partnerships, and filmmaker-led outreach, reflects a bold, instructive model for how films can connect with audiences outside traditional systems.

“This release is about meeting people where they are,” said the filmmaking team. “Whether that’s in a theater, a classroom, a care community, or a place of worship, the goal is the same, to create connection, conversation, and a shared emotional experience.”

The rollout is supported by RBL Films & PR, led by industry veteran Ry Levey, specializing in impact-driven distribution and audience-first engagement strategies.

Filmmakers and Cast Touring Nationwide
Select screenings will feature in-person appearances and post-film Q&As with members of the creative team and cast, including:

• Director and co-writer Dillon Bentlage
• Producer and KT Pictures co-founder Brian Reilly
• Co-writer and producer Simon Kienitz Kincade, whose Chesapeake Bay roots have shaped key regional outreach efforts
• Additional cast appearances in select markets

These appearances are designed to foster meaningful dialogue and deepen the film’s community impact.

WATCHING MR. PEARSON – THEATRICAL ROLLOUT SCHEDULE

• April 9–12 — Bethel, CT (Greenwood Features)
• April 10 — Seymour, CT (The Strand Theater, with Q&A)
• April 11 — Madison, CT (Madison Cinemas)
• April 12 — Mystic, CT (Mystic Luxury Cinemas)
• April 13 — New Canaan, CT (The Playhouse)
• April 14–15 — Hartford, CT (Cinestudio)
• April 17–23 — Rehoboth Beach, DE (Movies at Midway)
• April 17–23 — Irvington, VA (Compass Cinemas)
• April 19–21 — Somerville, MA (Somerville Theatre)
• April 26 — Dennis, MA (Cape Cinema)
• April 29 — Greenfield, MA (Greenfield Garden Cinemas)
• May 9–10 — Santa Fe, NM (Sky Cinemas)
• May 9–10 — The Villages, FL (Old Mill Playhouse)
• May 16–17 — New Orleans, LA (Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge)
• May 24 — New Paltz, NY (Denizen Theatre Cinema)
• May 30 — Encino, CA (Laemmle Theatres – Town Center)
• May 31 — Los Angeles, CA (Laemmle Theatres – The Royal)
• June 4 — San Francisco, CA (Lee Neighborhood Theatres)

Additional markets to be announced.

Screenings, tickets, and community engagement details:
www.watchingmrpearson.com/screenings

Ellis Series 2 Arrives on Digital and DVD This Spring

‘The British detective drama that the genre has been crying out for… [Sharon D. Clarke] effortlessly pours wit, enigma and emotion into her leading role’

Radio Times

As seen on Channel 5 SHARON D. CLARKE

IS

ELLIS

Series 2

Arrives on DVD 18 May 2026

On digital 31 March 2026

‘A fresh spin on the police procedural… Clarke is the queen of the withering look. I could watch her glaring down hapless plods in regional police stations all day’

The Times

‘Fresh and highly compelling’

 ★★★★

                                                                                                                           The Killing Times

FOLLOWING ITS critically acclaimed first outing, that proved a ratings winner, Acorn Media International is delighted to announce the return of Ellis – the groundbreaking detective drama that had audiences hooked.  

Three-time Olivier Award winner and BAFTA nominated actor Sharon D. Clarke (Mr Loverman, Showtrial, Doctor Who) reprises her role as the inimitable, no nonsense case cracker – DCI Ellis – in the hotly anticipated second series, that arrives on digital 31 March and on DVD 18 May, following its transmission on Channel 5.

Ellis Series 2 finds the detective inspector fresh from her victories in series one as she is once again parachuted in to tackle failing cases across the North of England. 

With DS Harper (Andrew Gower – Outlander, Carnival Row, Miss Scarlet and the Duke), by her side, she faces a new wave of fractured communities and mysteries that test not only her forensic brilliance but her resilience too.

From acclaimed writers Paul Logue (Shetland, Vera) and Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre (Murder Is Easy), the new series features two gripping cases that peel back layers of silence, ambition and betrayal. 

The sharp and driven detective must investigate the suspicious death of a beloved community leader exposing long-held resentments and the death of a young woman that leads to the team uncovering a hidden network of coercion and exploitation. 

Our favourite new case cracker is back to take on more seemingly unsolvable killer crimes, but nothing will stop the tenacious Ellis in this must-see gritty detective drama. 

SPECIAL FEATURES include: 

On Set with Andrew Gower

Behind the Scenes Featurette

‘Watching Mr. Pearson’ Sets Spring Nationwide Theatrical Rollout as KT Pictures and Hedy Films Build on SXSW-Premiering Imposters

April 9th Launch Across CT, MA, VA and DE Precedes Broader U.S. Expansion Beginning in May, Led by Grassroots, Community-Driven Release Strategy

Fresh off serving as co-producers on the SXSW-premiering 2026 sci-fi thriller Imposters, Boston-based KT Pictures and Hedy Films are channeling that momentum into a nationwide theatrical rollout of their latest feature, Watching Mr. Pearson.

Launching first across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Delaware beginning in April, the film is already generating strong early demand, with filmmaker-attended screenings beginning to fill up in multiple markets ahead of opening. The rollout will expand into a broader national release across the United States starting in May, powered by a grassroots strategy rooted in community engagement and direct audience connection.

This is not a conventional release. It is a ground-up theatrical movement in motion.

Working city by city, the team has built partnerships with memory care organizations, senior living communities, educators, and caregiver networks, activating audiences before opening weekend. Screenings are being positioned as shared community experiences, with planned post-film Q&As, conversations, and local collaborations designed to spark dialogue and connection around the film’s themes.

At the center of this effort is a close-knit creative collective: producers Samantha Valletta (Hedy Films), Dillon Bentlage, and Brian Reilly (KT Pictures), alongside co-writer and producer Simon Kienitz Kincade, whose personal connection to dementia and caregiving informs the emotional core of the film.

Together, they represent a new wave of independent filmmakers building outside traditional systems. Their collaboration spans multiple feature films, award-winning short films, and the internationally recognized web series Play It By Ear, which screened at Nashville Film Festival, HollyShorts, Dances With Films, and Catalyst Content Festival. That same hands-on, filmmaker-first ethos now drives a theatrical model built on relationships, trust, and lived experience.

Watching Mr. Pearson tells the story of a once-renowned actor struggling to distinguish past from present, and the two caregivers who use imagination and performance to help him remain connected to the world around him.

The film is anchored by a powerful central performance from Hugo Armstrong, whose body of work includes collaborations alongside Denzel Washington and Harry Dean Stanton, and who was recently part of the Oscar-nominated Jane Austen’s Period Drama. His portrayal of Robert Pearson is expected to be a defining emotional experience for audiences.

He is joined by a rising ensemble:

• Sam Bullington, recently featured in Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2
• Zainab Jah, acclaimed for All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt and Only Murders in the Building
• Dominika Zawada and Luis Rizo, whose performances bring nuance and humanity to the caregiving dynamic

Behind the camera, the film reflects years of creative collaboration. Bentlage and Kincade have developed a sustained writing and directing partnership across features and short-form work, while Reilly and Valletta continue to grow KT Pictures and Hedy Films into prolific, filmmaker-driven production companies committed to performance-centered storytelling.

Their recent role as co-producers on Imposters, directed by Caleb Phillips and starring Jessica Rothe and Charlie Barnett, signals their expanding presence within the independent film landscape. The film’s SXSW premiere highlights their reach in the genre space, while Watching Mr. Pearson underscores their commitment to intimate, human storytelling.

Supporting the release is RBL Films & PR, led by industry veteran Ry Levey, working alongside the filmmakers on a targeted, community-first distribution strategy designed to build meaningful audience engagement from the ground up.

Together, Imposters and Watching Mr. Pearson reflect the range of KT Pictures and Hedy Films: a creative partnership capable of delivering both high-concept genre cinema and deeply personal, emotionally resonant work.

Right now, that momentum is building around Watching Mr. Pearson.

Across early markets, organizations are coordinating group attendance, community leaders are engaging around the film’s themes, and audiences are preparing to experience the film together. The rollout is being shaped not just by distribution, but by participation.

This is independent cinema activated in real time.

WATCHING MR. PEARSON — NATIONAL THEATRICAL ROLLOUT

• April 9–12 — Bethel, CT (Greenwood Features)
• April 10 — Seymour, CT (The Strand Theater, with Q&A)
• April 11 — Madison, CT (Madison Cinemas)
• April 12 — Mystic, CT (Mystic Luxury Cinemas)
• April 13 — New Canaan, CT (The Playhouse)
• April 14–15 — Hartford, CT (Cinestudio)
• April 17–23 — Rehoboth Beach, DE (Movies at Midway)
• April 17–23 — Irvington, VA (Compass Cinemas)
• April 19–21 — Somerville, MA (Somerville Theatre)
• April 26 — Dennis, MA (Cape Cinema)
• April 29 — Greenfield, MA (Greenfield Garden Cinemas)
• May 9–10 — Santa Fe, NM (Sky Cinemas)
• May 16–17 — New Orleans, LA (Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge)
• May 24 — New Paltz, NY (Denizen Theatre Cinema)
• May 30 — Encino, CA (Laemmle Theatres – Town Center)
• May 31 — Los Angeles, CA (Laemmle Theatres – The Royal)
• June 4 — San Francisco, CA (Lee Neighborhood Theatres)

‘A high-stakes game of deception where every alliance carries the potential for betrayal’ Overly Honest Reviews

Beverly Hills, 90210 star Brian Austin Green (Desperate Housewives, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) swaps the Hills for heists in Golden – a new action-packed thriller from writer-director Nick
Leisure (A Clear Shot, Last the Night). Co-starring Josh Glimer (All Rise), Alena Savostikova (The Guardians of Justice) and Robert Miano
(Donny Brasco, Fast & Furious), Golden is set to make its UK debut on digital this April, courtesy of Miracle Media, following its release in the US.
Based on the shocking true story, the film follows Frank (Austin Green), a miserable man on the cusp of his 50th birthday. His life begins to change when he uses his father’s printing company to create counterfeit money, driving across the Mexican border to exchange the fake bills for legal tender.
At first Frank’s venture goes off without a hitch, using his newfound fortune to live the life he always wanted. But it’s not long before reality hits and when those around him start to sus out his scheme, Frank finds himself in way over his head.
Caught in a web of heists, deceit and desire, Frank must face off against cunning criminals, crooked cops and a dangerous cartel ring in
possession of stolen gold. Can he outwit his adversaries and escape with the gold?
Make it Golden with this high-stakes, hugely entertaining thrill-ride.

This is Birmingham – where the UK’s most brutal underworld gangs battle to gain control as drugs, violence and warfare run rife.

Actor Kay S. Ubhi (Starstruck, Blue Moon) makes his directorial debut with this stark, gritty and gripping new British crime drama, set for its UK debut this April.
Birmingham gets the Top Boy treatment with a raw and hard-hitting thriller exploring the dangerous and devastating reality of gang warfare. Following its award-winning run on the festival circuit, This is
Birmingham arrives on digital 6 April, courtesy of Miracle Media.
For more than two decades, the Kaleo family – known for running extortion and racketeering operations – has succeeded in controlling major parts of Birmingham’s criminal underworld, but when feared boss
Al Kaleo (Navdeep Monga – Man Like Mobeen) is arrested, stability breaks into chaos.
With their leader behind bars, Al’s son Asher (Ubhi) – an ambitious but reckless newcomer – sees an opportunity to prove himself and steps up, against his father’s wishes.
As a rival London gang, led by drug lord Ruvelle (Jag Patel – Good Omens, Mandy), begins to infiltrate Birmingham’s drug trade, a vicious fight for ownership of the city breaks out. Caught in the crossfires is
TJ (Marlon Watkins), a teenage runway who gets pulled deeper into a world he doesn’t understand and must face a harrowing choice: escape
or be engulfed in a world of danger.
With battles rampaging through the city, loyalties are tested and the streets are rife with brutality and bloodshed, but who will end up on top?
Blending hard-hitting action with raw emotional storytelling, This is Birmingham pulls no punches as it plunges viewers headlong into a world
of peril, loyalty and survival.

Murder mystery royalty is back in Queens of Mystery, as the second series of the witty and whimsical Emmy®-nominated crime caper receives its long-awaited DVD and digital release on 6 April, courtesy of Acorn Media International, following its release on U&Drama. 

The bold and colourful series features wickedly offbeat whodunnits and a stellar female-led British cast with Julie Graham (This City Is Ours, Shetland), Sarah Woodward (Professor T, Supernova) and Siobhan Redmond (Frankenstein, Between the Lines) as three tenacious, crime solving sisters. They are joined by Florence Hall (This Is Not a Murder Mystery) as their detective niece and Juliet Stevenson (Bend It Like Beckham, Truly, Madly, Deeply) in her Emmy®-nominated role as narrator. 

Sámi Rights Documentary LET OUR MOUNTAINS LIVE to Have North American Premiere at 2026 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

The powerful new documentary LET OUR MOUNTAINS LIVE will make its North American Premiere at the 2026 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, runningApril 23^rd to May 3^rd, the film will screen twice during the festival at TIFF Lightbox on April 24^th and 25^th.

Director/producer Håvard Bustnes and Sámi filmmaker, writer, and producer Johannes Vang will be in attendance for the screenings.

A gripping and urgent documentary, LET OUR MOUNTAINS LIVE follows South Sámi reindeer herders Sissel Stormo Holtan and Terje Haugen as they wage a decades-long fight to protect their ancestral grazing lands from Europe’s largest onshore wind power development in the mountains of Fosen, Norway.

After years of legal battles, the herders achieve a historic victory when Norway’s Supreme Court rules that the wind farm violates Sámi human rights. Yet despite the landmark ruling, the turbines remain standing. What follows is an extraordinary struggle that exposes a deeper crisis: when courts recognize injustice but governments fail to act.

The case ignites protests led by Sámi youth, drawing international attention to the tensions between climate policy, corporate power, and Indigenous rights. At its heart, LET OUR MOUNTAINS LIVE asks a question resonating far beyond Norway: can the global transition to renewable energy truly be just if it comes at the cost of Indigenous culture, land, and livelihood?

The film was developed in close collaboration with Sámi creators, including co-writer and producer Johannes Vang and Finnish Sámi filmmaker Kati Eriksen, ensuring the story reflects authentic Sámi perspectives and cultural context.

Director Håvard Bustnes, one of Norway’s most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, has spent more than two decades crafting internationally recognized nonfiction films including Golden Dawn Girls, Two Raging Grannies, and Name of the Game. His work has screened at major festivals worldwide and has received numerous honors, including Norway’s Amanda Award and Gullruten Award.

With its Hot Docs premiere, LET OUR MOUNTAINS LIVE brings a critical Indigenous rights story to North American audiences at a moment when conversations about climate justice and Indigenous sovereignty are increasingly urgent worldwide.

Festival Screenings

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
TIFF Cinema 4 – Toronto, Canada

April 24, 2026 – 3:00 PM
April 25, 2026 – 8:15 PM

Film Information

Title: LET OUR MOUNTAINS LIVE
Director: Håvard Bustnes
Writers / Co-Producers: Johannes Vang, Kati Eriksen, Håvard Bustnes

Countries: Norway / Finland
Running Time: 100 minutes