Los Angeles, California – March 16, 2022 —
‘That’s a wrap, folks!’ Ave Fenix Pictures Studios has announced to The Hollywood Reporter the completion of Where Sweet Dreams Die, the first mainstream film by the Chicago studio known for its rise in arthouse cinema.
The evocative first image of Zachary Laoutides and Emmanuel Isaac from the upcoming Mirza Esho drama-thriller presents a live portrait of poetic anguish, intriguingly pressing us to interpret and know more about. The film is a modern-day social commentary piece reminiscing on inspirations of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) and American History X (1998).
Isaac, best known for his successful indie films plays Ashton Nassar, a Syrian refugee who wants more out of life then just being a taxi driver. Ashton’s shady mentor Ivan (international European actor Marius Iliescu), a Ukrainian Social Club owner has motivated him, revealing the American dream is just around the corner if you know how to play the game. Ashton, being secured by Ivan’s loan is only one day away from owning Brunello’s Italian restaurant, soon to be converted into a Middle Eastern eatery. The owner Luca Brunello tries everything in his power to save his family’s restaurant, but ultimately comes up short with family and friends.
Laoutides, in addition to the screenwriter stars as Luca Brunello, gripping onto an Italian ristorante that has been his family’s establishment since 1933. Luca, a third generation Italian American has inherited his family’s legacy, tradition and landmark, but his gambling addiction along with his wife’s sickness has slowly loosened his grip on his inheritance. Not taking responsibility for his own failings, Luca starts to believe that political elites, changing demographics and immigration has led to society’s decay and his current circumstance. With lost hope Luca decides to take the biggest gamble of his life, taking his situation into his own hands by any means necessary. That’s where craziness starts and sweet dreams die.
With the ongoing expectations of diversity in film, one couldn’t ask more from the production, as a strong team of women headed by executive producer Monica Esmeralda Leon, with an infusion of cultures from cast, crew and the debut of Assyrian director Mirza Esho, range is at the film’s core.
Speaking of range, the casting of Isaac and Laoutides has been the subject of intense interest, both of whom have created a performance buzz on set, together starting their careers in Chicago making names through arthouse cinema, “This is a story of similarities and differences between desperate people under the current state of the nation. The performances turned into something beyond the script and my imagination, the character depth is just chilling and brutally honest. I don’t believe these performances can or will be easily ignored,” Esho explained.
The film currently wrapped shooting in Chicago and New York. A release date has not yet been announced.
For more information about “Where Sweet Dreams Die,” go to www.avefenixpictures.com
SOURCE The Hollywood Reporter
Brooke Jaffe
Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Penske Media Corporation
Contact Info:
Name: Steven Huizar (Los Angeles), Manager of Communications
Email: Send Email
Organization: Penske Media Corporation
Website: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/
Release ID: 89070636
