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Sunlight Jr.

World Narrative Competition

World Premiere

USA | 90 MINUTES | English |

SUNLIGHT JR.

Drama, Female Director(s), Relationships
Quickie-mart employee Melissa and boyfriend Richie are poor but very much in love. Living in a Florida motel and supported by Melissa’s small hourly wage and Richie’s monthly disability check, they are nevertheless thrilled to learn that Melissa is pregnant. When Melissa’s abusive ex begins sniffing around, her job is threatened and the couple faces eviction, their tenuous financial situation threatens to bring their modest but happy life crashing down. Lacking the resources and support to nurture their young family, Melissa and Richie face difficult decisions that their love may not be able to survive.

Anchored by impressive performances from Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon at the top of their games as the central conflicted couple, Sunlight Jr. grapples with social issues of poverty and unplanned pregnancy through the lens of a moving romantic drama and under the harsh light of the hot Florida sun. Laurie Collyer, director of Golden Globe-nominated Sherrybaby, crafts a sensitive, thoughtful work that brings nuance and sympathy to the real lives of people too often counted as statistics in this affecting, mature social realist drama.

—Cara Cusumano

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Laurie Collyer

LAURIE COLLYER earned a DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for her film debut, the documentary Nuyorican Dream. Her follow-up, Sherrybaby, won awards at the Karlovy Vary, Stockholm and Deauville Film Festivals and garnered a Golden Globe nomination for star Maggie Gyllenhaal. A New Jersey native, Collyer lives in New York.
Director
Laurie Collyer
Screenwriter
Laurie Collyer
Producer
Andera Roa, Charlie Corwin, Ariel Elia
Editor
Curtiss Clayton
Associate Producer
Motaz Nabulsi, Marcos Tellechia
Cinematographer
Igor Martinovic
Executive Producer
Billy Dietrich, Joshua Skurla, Simon Fawcett, Dan Klabin
Composer
J Mascis
Cast
Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon, Norman Reedus, Tess Harper

CONTACTS

Print Source
Andrea Roa
Dark Arts
Brooklyn, 11211
Phone: 917 977 1794
roa@darkartsfilm.com
International Sales Contact
Eric Christenson
Hyde Park International
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: 818 783 6060
eric@hydeparkentertainment.com
Sales Agent
Creative Artists Agency
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: 424 288 2000
filmsales@caa.com
Press Contact
Michael Kupferberg
Strategy PR / Consulting
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 646 918 8718
Michael.Kupferberg@strategypr.net