A magnolia pictures release

2012 Sundance Film Festival

My previous films were about strong women who were independent, brave and broken-hearted. The characters pushed boundaries as a way of defining themselves and left a mess in their wake. 

 With Nobody Walks, I wanted to explore a functional family at a turning point, to examine the decisions people make and the moral choices they must confront.  The parents are in a rut, vaguely losing touch with each other, not having sex, the way many couples get while busy with work and kids and life.  Martine’s presence crystallizes their distance and leads them to acts of betrayal.  Adrift this sea is their teenage daughter Kolt, who is at a time in her life when she is beginning to test the boundaries of her own sexuality. In writing the script, Lena Dunham and I were careful not to make the film a heavy-handed morality tale, with someone floating dead in the pool at the end to pay for the sins of the family.  We wanted to examine how people in loving relationships justify hurtful actions.  Families go through rough times and compromise their trust in one another, and then life goes on, but nobody walks away unscathed. 

Ry Russo-Young’s Nobody Walks premiered in dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.  The film, starring John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby and Rosemarie Dewitt, was co-written with Lena Dunham and developed through the Sundance Screenwriters lab and the IFP No Borders market.  The film won a special jury prize and will be released domestically this fall by Magnolia Pictures and internationally through Myriad Pictures.  The film has played several other festivals, including BAM Cinemafest, Sarasota, Nantucket, and Sundance London, among others.

Multi-hyphenate talent Lena Dunham has quickly established herself as a formidable talent among today's top young filmmakers, already creating an indelible mark in the industry.

Jonathan Schwartz, President and Founder of Super Crispy Entertainment, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric from The University of California at Berkeley and a law degree with honors from the prestigious George Washington University. 

At Sundance 2011, Jonathan and Super Crispy debuted Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy, an epic story of first love, starring three of the hottest and best young actors in Hollywood. Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), Felicity Jones (The Tempest), and Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, The Hunger Games) are breathtaking in Drake Doremus’ Grand Jury Prize WINNER for Best Picture as well as a Special Jury Prize for Felicity Jones’ acting. Like Crazy was released on October 28, 2011 by Paramount Pictures, and garnered numerous Awards and Top 10 lists, along with multiple Breakout Star Awards for Jones including The National Board of Review and The Gotham Awards).

 

Douchebag (which Jonathan also co-wrote) premiered in Sundance to rave reviews from major film critics across the country, including Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, Elvis Mitchell of NPR and Kenny Turan of the Los Angeles Times.  The film was released in theaters across the United States in October 2010 by Paladin Films.

Jonathan also developed, packaged and executive produced Academy Award nominated Director Peter Weir's The Way Back, based on the acclaimed book “The Long Walk.” The film stars Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, and Saoirse Ronan and garnered an Oscar nomination for its spectacular makeup recreation of Siberian prisoners.

Jonathan and Andrea also produced the thriller Kaboom, directed by acclaimed indie auteur Gregg Araki.  Kaboom, premiered in May 2010 as an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival to standing ovations and was sold at the festival to IFC.  Kaboom, was also awarded the inaugural Queer Palm Award given by the Festival. It is the rare film that got invited to Cannes, Toronto and Sundance, and premiered theatrically in the US in February 2011.

Jonathan also produced Spooner, starring Matthew Lillard and Nora Zehetner, which premiered in theatres in March 2011. This was the first of 4 films that Jonathan and Drake Doremus have collaborated on and was the LA Times “Critics Pick of the Week” when released.  Spooner won Best Feature Award at several festivals, and shared Best Achievement in Filmmaking at the Newport Beach Festival with %00 Days of Summer.

In 2008, Jonathan became the first and only American producer for Palme D’Or Winner and Oscar Nominee Michael Haneke on his remake of Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt, which was mentioned in several top movies of the year lists. 

In 2007, Jonathan executive produced the critically acclaimed Wristcutters: A Love Story, starring Patrick Fugit, Shannyn Sossamon, Tom Waits, and Will Arnett.  Wristcutters premiered in Dramatic Competition at Sundance and was nominated for Best First Feature and Best Screenplay at The Independent Spirit Awards.  It continues to be a cult favorite.

Super Crispy continues to develop, produce and finance film and television projects with a focus on quality and director driven projects. Jonathan continues to collaborate with seasoned indie Producer Andrea Sperling for Super Crispy Entertainment.

Andrea Sperling has produced twenty-eight feature films. In 2009, she joined forces with Jonathan Schwartz at Super Crispy Entertainment and is currently in post-production on Ry Russo-Young’s Nobody Walks starring John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby and Rosemarie DeWitt as well as James Ponsoldt’s Smashed starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally and Octavia Spencer. Both films’ are World Premiering in Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2007, Sperling produced Ari Gold’s feature film debut Adventures of Power starring Adrian Grenier, Michael McKean, and Jane Lynch which world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2006, Sperling produced Jamie Babbit’s third feature film Itty Bitty Titty Committee which world premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2007. Sperling also produced Dominique Wirtshafter’s directorial debut If I Had Known I Was a Genius starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone and Tara Reid which world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.

Alicia Van Couvering produced Tiny Furniture, directed by Lena Dunham. Tiny Furniture premiered at SXSW in 2010 where it won the Narrative Jury Prize; the film went on to receive accolades from the Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, New York Film Critics’ Awards, and praise from publications including the New York Times, Variety and The New Yorker. It was released by IFC Films and the Criterion Collection.

Co-founder of art project Fischerspooner, Warren Fischer has been a film director for over 12 years, and founder of Bunker New York.

Christopher Blauvelt is a third-generation film craftsman who combines his extensive experience with a fresh creative eye. Christopher refined his craft assisting and camera-operating for renowned cinematographer Harris Savides on critically acclaimed films such as The Game, Elephant, Last Days, and Zodiac. Christopher began to make a name for himself as a Director of Photography on Kelly Reichardt's critically acclaimed, Meek's Cutoff, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and screened at the Toronto and New York Film Festivals. In the last year he followed up with The Discoverers and most recently he wrapped Ry Russo-Young’s, Nobody Walks. The film, co-written by filmmaker Lena Dunham, is a daring drama about a young artist who invades the home and family of a Hollywood sound designer and features, John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby and Rosemarie DeWitt.

Linda is a production designer known for her dedication and craft. She designed two of the films premiering in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the films Nobody Walks directed by Ry Russo Young and Smashed directed by James Ponsoldt. She also designed the hit film Wristcutters: A Love Story (Sundance 2006) directed by Goran Dukic. Along with her work as a designer Linda is also an accomplished Art Director having art directed the films Captain Abu Raed (“Audience Award” Sundance 2008) shot on location in Amman, Jordan and more recently the film Everything Must Go starring Will Ferrell. Linda is a graduate of the American Film Institute and a member of the Art Directors Guild.

Kim Wilcox has helped to bring compelling characters to life for over fifteen years. Nominated twice for an Emmy for her work on HBO’s “The Sopranos,” she has designed costumes for a wide range of actors including Frank Langella, Marcia Gay Harden, Jason Ritter, Ludacris, Jon Cryer, Alicia Silverstone, and Vincent D’Onofrio, to name a few. Recent designs in the indie world include Nobody Walks, The Discoverers, Ass Backwards, and Around the Block. Kim has also designed multiple episodes of Law and Order: SVU, and collaborated on projects as varied as Pollock, Brown Sugar, Duplicity, Adventureland, and “How To Make It In America.” Trained on Broadway and at The Art Students League of New York, Kim holds an MFA in Costume Design from Brandeis University.

Filmmaker Magazine says “In the field of documentary, John Walter has emerged as the medium's most eloquent and entertaining cultural historian.”

Lance Edmands was born and raised in a small town on the coast of Maine. He edited the feature documentaries Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell (Berlin 2008) and Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be the Same (SXSW 2009). His first narrative feature as editor, Tiny Furniture, won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2010 and was released by IFC. Lance has also edited several national commercial campaigns, including spots for Delta, Sony, Citibank, MTV, and Sharp. Recently Lance completed editing M Blash's feature The Wait. Lance participated in the Sundance Writers and Directors labs with Bluebird, Lance’s debut feature as writer/director.

John Krasinski has established himself as one of the most exciting talents as an actor and director, engaging audiences in both the large and small screen. 

The actor was last seen in Ken Kwapis' Big Miracle, opposite Drew Barrymore, which was released by Universal Pictures, and perhaps is best known for his charming boy-next-door portrayal of 'Jim Halpert' on NBC's hit comedy The Office.

Olivia Thirlby was most recently seen in Being Flynn, opposite Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore and Paul Dano about a young man in his twenties, working at various homeless shelters in Boston, where he often intersects with his brilliant but troubled father. Directed by Paul Weitz, the film was released by Focus Features on March 2^nd, 2012. 

After a series of acclaimed turns in film, television and theatre, Rosemarie DeWitt’s grace, style and charm are at the heart of several highly-anticipated projects, where she collaborates with some of the industry’s most honored talent.

Despite her young age, India Ennenga has quickly distinguished herself as a tremendous actress, highly sought after in both film and television. This talented and precocious young teen is currently filming the 3^rd season of David Simon’s hit HBO series “Treme” opposite Melissa Leo playing her daughter Sofia Bernette.

A Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee, Dylan McDermott has proved his talent in film, television and theater.

McDermott recently completed production on the indie coming-of-age drama, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, alongside Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Ezra Miller and Mae Whitman.  The film revolves around a shy 15-year old boy Charlie (played by Lerman) whose life dramatically changes as he learns about secrets buried deep in his past during his freshman year of high school.  McDermott will play his father.  Produced by John Malkovich and his team at Mr. Mudd, the film will be released by Summit Entertainment in 2012.  Following this, McDermott completed lensing on Lena Dunham and Ry Russo Young's Nobody Walks, which follows a Los Angeles family that takes in a stranger who winds up disrupting their lives.  The film also stars John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby and Jane Levy.  

Additional film credits include The Pang Brother's The Messengers, Wonderland, Home for the Holidays, Steel Magnolias, Hamburger Hill, Miracle on 34th Street, In The Line of Fire and Burning Palms.

A striking and compelling presence on screen, Justin Kirk earned high praise for his roles on television, in film and on stage.

Additional stage work includes "The World Over" at Playwrights Horizons, Old Wicked Songs at New York's Promenade Theatre and Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse in which he starred as a piano prodigy, winning a Backstage West Garland Award for Outstanding Performance. He also appeared in Any Given Day at the Longacre Theatre and June Moon with the Drama Department, a theater company of which he is a founding member. 

Rhys Wakefield made his mark on TV and film starring in the Australian soap opera “Home and Away” and the Australian/British AFI award-winning drama based feature film The Black Balloon. With his most recent role in the 3-D cave-dive action drama entitled Sanctum, this young actor is quickly garnering the attention of Hollywood. On behalf of his role in The Black Balloon, Roger Ebert states “Rhys Wakefield, in his first feature role, is a good casting decision, suggesting inner turmoil without overacting.”

Rhys received much acclaim on the big screen as the lead role in the movie The Black Balloon. He plays Tommy Mollison, the younger brother of highly autistic Charlie. Thomas (Wakefield) and his family move to a new home and all he wants to do is fit in. When his pregnant mother (Toni Collette) has to take it easy, he is put in charge of his older brother Charlie (Luke Ford). Charlie’s unusual antics take Thomas on an emotional journey that causes his pent-up frustrations about his brother to pour out. The film’s world premiere was at the Berlin International Film Festival where the film received a Crystal Bear as the best feature-length film in the “Generation 14 plus” category. The film continued to receive numerous awards and nominations in Australia and at Film Festivals around the world.

Rhys can soon be seen in The Philosophers. He stars in the film opposite Bonnie Wright and James D’Arcy. The film centers around a philosophy teacher, at an international school in Jakarta, who challenges his class of twenty graduating seniors to choose which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.

Actor and award winning director Emanuele Secci was born in Sardinia, Italy, and has an eclectic professional education. His career started as a concert pianist; after graduating at the Conservatory of Music in Cagliari, his hometown, he continued the piano training with Gyorgy Sandor from the "Julliard School" and later attended the Vienna Music Academy in Austria. After winning several national piano competitions in Italy, Emanuele veered his career towards acting.

Super Crispy Entertainment

Andrea Sperling Production

Dylan McDermott

Justin Kirk

Jane Levy

Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee

Kim Wilcox

Linda Sena

Tiffany Anders

Fall On Your Sword

John Walter

Director of Photography

Christopher Blauvelt

Warren Fischer

Audrey Wilf

Zygi Wilf
Produced by

Jonathan Schwartz

Andrea Sperling

Alicia Van Couvering

Lena Dunham & Ry Russo-Young

Ry Russo-Young

Martine OLIVIA THIRLBY

Julie ROSEMARIE DeWITT

Kolt INDIA ENNENGA

Leroy DYLAN McDERMOTT

Billy JUSTIN KIRK

David RHYS WAKEFIELD

Marcello EMANUELE SECCI

Avi SAM LERNER

Dusty MASON WELCH

Man DAVID CALL

Caroline JANE LEVY

Actor ANTHONY SALUDARES

Actress SAMANTHA RESSLER

Teacher STACY BARNHISEL
THIS FILM WAS SUPPORTED BY THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE FEATURE FILM PROGRAM, WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE INDIAN PAINTBRUSH FEATURE FILM FELLOWSHIP, AND AN AWARD FROM THE AUDREY & ZYGI WILFFOUNDATION THROUGH THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE FEATURE FILM PROGRAM
THIS FILM WAS SUPPORTED BY THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE FEATURE FILM CREATIVE

PRODUCING FELLOWSHIP AND THE STEVE BING FELLOWSHIP