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''The Nana Project'' is a 2023 American
mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
film directed by
Robin Givens Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American actress and director. Givens played Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom '' Head of the Class'' in 1986, and remained on the series for its five year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer ...
from a screenplay by Eric Ulloa (in his narrative feature writing debut), with additional writing by Carl Moellenberg and Anthony Del Negro, the film's producers. Set at the Timeless Acres Retirement Home, the film follows a documentary crew who develop an interest in one of its star residents—feisty chess master Helen “Nana” Lewis (
Mercedes Ruehl Mercedes J. Ruehl ( ; born February 28, 1948) is an American screen, stage, and television actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. Ruehl won the Academy Award f ...
). The film stars Ruehl with an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
that includes
Nicky Whelan Nicky Whelan (born 10 May 1981) is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Laurie Mitchell in '' Chosen'' (2013), and Pepper Steiger in Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' (2006–2007). Career Before ''Neighbou ...
,
Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since then. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera '' Searc ...
,
Tony Todd Anthony Tiran Todd (December 4, 1954 – November 6, 2024) was an American actor known for his distinctly deep and gravelly voice. He amassed several credits on screen and in video games since the 1980s, including the Candyman (character), titl ...
,
Charlene Tilton Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She is widely known for playing Lucy Ewing on the CBS prime time soap opera ''Dallas''. Career Tilton had early roles on television series such as ''Happy Days'' ...
,
Beth Broderick Elizabeth Alice Broderick (born February 24, 1959) is an American actress. She portrayed Zelda Spellman in the ABC/ WB television sitcom ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003).
,
Margaret Avery Margaret Avery is an American actress. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including '' Cool Breeze'' (1972), '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), ''Scott Joplin'' (1977) which earned her an NAACP Image Award no ...
,
Sierra McCormick Sierra McCormick (born October 28, 1997) is an American actress. She first became known for participating in the game show ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'' (2007–2008) before making her acting debut with a recurring role as Lilith on th ...
, Katie Sarife, Gina Hiraizumi,
Nolan Gould Nolan Gould (born October 28, 1998) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Luke Dunphy on the ABC sitcom ''Modern Family'' (2009–2020). Early life and education Gould was born in New York City, to Angela and Edwin Gould. Shortly ...
and
Will Peltz William Peltz (born May 30, 1986) is an American actor, known for his roles in the supernatural horror film ''Unfriended'' (2014), the comedy-drama film '' Men, Women & Children'' (2014), and the supernatural drama television series ''Manifest'' ...
. It premiered as the opening night film of the SOHO International Film Festival on September 14, 2023, and was released on VOD,
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on September 10, 2024, by
Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an American film distribution company owned by Shout! Studios. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles in 2006, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Cleveland in 2019. It focuses on the distribu ...
.


Cast


Production


Development and casting

On December 21, 2021, it was reported that
Mercedes Ruehl Mercedes J. Ruehl ( ; born February 28, 1948) is an American screen, stage, and television actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. Ruehl won the Academy Award f ...
will star in the mockumentary-style comedy directed by
Robin Givens Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American actress and director. Givens played Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom '' Head of the Class'' in 1986, and remained on the series for its five year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer ...
. On May 12, 2022,
Nicky Whelan Nicky Whelan (born 10 May 1981) is an Australian actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Laurie Mitchell in '' Chosen'' (2013), and Pepper Steiger in Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' (2006–2007). Career Before ''Neighbou ...
,
Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since then. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera '' Searc ...
,
Tony Todd Anthony Tiran Todd (December 4, 1954 – November 6, 2024) was an American actor known for his distinctly deep and gravelly voice. He amassed several credits on screen and in video games since the 1980s, including the Candyman (character), titl ...
,
Charlene Tilton Charlene L. Tilton (born December 1, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She is widely known for playing Lucy Ewing on the CBS prime time soap opera ''Dallas''. Career Tilton had early roles on television series such as ''Happy Days'' ...
,
Beth Broderick Elizabeth Alice Broderick (born February 24, 1959) is an American actress. She portrayed Zelda Spellman in the ABC/ WB television sitcom ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003).
,
Margaret Avery Margaret Avery is an American actress. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including '' Cool Breeze'' (1972), '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), ''Scott Joplin'' (1977) which earned her an NAACP Image Award no ...
,
Sierra McCormick Sierra McCormick (born October 28, 1997) is an American actress. She first became known for participating in the game show ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'' (2007–2008) before making her acting debut with a recurring role as Lilith on th ...
, Katie Sarife, Gina Hiraizumi,
Nolan Gould Nolan Gould (born October 28, 1998) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Luke Dunphy on the ABC sitcom ''Modern Family'' (2009–2020). Early life and education Gould was born in New York City, to Angela and Edwin Gould. Shortly ...
,
Will Peltz William Peltz (born May 30, 1986) is an American actor, known for his roles in the supernatural horror film ''Unfriended'' (2014), the comedy-drama film '' Men, Women & Children'' (2014), and the supernatural drama television series ''Manifest'' ...
, Olivia d’Abo,
Eddie Steeples Eddie Steeples (born November 25, 1973) is an American actor known for his roles as the "Rubberband Man" in an advertising campaign for OfficeMax, Cal in '' Would You Rather'', as Darnell Turner on the NBC sitcom ''My Name Is Earl,'' and Eddie on ...
, and Mike Manning have joined the cast.


Filming

Filming began in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
from May 18. A number of local background actors were hired to work on location: Julie Engelhardt, Lincoln Crum, Carlisle Baker, Mark Neff, Sally Johnson, Ed Hoben, Barbie Mueller, Kimberley Gant, Kathleen Ashcraft, Raydonna Guy, and Terri Weber.


Release

The film premiered as the opening night film of the SOHO International Film Festival in New York City on September 14, 2023. Some of the cast was able to attend the screening due to the producers having signed an interim agreement that would allow them to promote the film during the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Pro ...
. On May 14, 2024,
Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an American film distribution company owned by Shout! Studios. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles in 2006, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Cleveland in 2019. It focuses on the distribu ...
acquired the US distribution rights to the film and set it for a VOD and physical home media release on September 10, 2024.https://www.screendaily.com/news/gravitas-ventures-boards-the-nana-project-tomorrow-before-after-for-cannes-exclusive/5193309.article


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nana Project, The 2023 films 2023 comedy films 2023 independent films 2020s English-language films Films about chess Films shot in Louisville, Kentucky American comedy films American mockumentary films American independent films English-language independent films