Freestyle Digital Media Acquires 2023 Slamdance Grand Jury Prize Winner ‘Waiting For The Light To Change’

Valerie Complex
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has acquired North American VOD rights to the dramatic feature film Waiting for the Light to Change — the 2023 Slamdance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner for Best Narrative Feature.

The pic premiered at the Heartland International Film Festival in October, screened at the Chicago Critics Film Festival in May and just had its West Coast premiere in Los Angeles at Dances With Films this week. Freestyle Digital Media is planning a fall release date. Watch the new trailer below.

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Waiting for the Light to Change follows five twentysomethings who gather for a weeklong spring getaway at a lake house in Michigan. But with little to do in the small town, everyone finds themselves dealing with the sort of malaise that happens in one’s early- to mid-20s: growing older, establishing a career, finding a purpose in life, going over past regrets and anxiety about what the future might hold.

Sam Straley, Eric Barrientos, Qun Chi, Joyce Ha and Jin Park star in the pic directed by Linh Tran, who co-wrote the script with Jewells Santos and Delia Van Praag. Producers are Jake Rotger, Jewells Santos and Straley. James Choi served as executive producer.

The acquisition of Waiting for the Light to Change kicks off Freestyle Digital Media’s first-look with DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts and its Indie Studio Initiative, which produces DePaul student feature films.

Launched in 2018 by DePaul assistant professor Choi, the program supports student-directed and -produced micro-feature films through financing and in-kind services. This includes guidance through all aspects of the filmmaking process, such as screenwriting, directing and editing, with students fully owning the completed projects, providing a unique opportunity for the next generation of filmmakers to grow both creatively and professionally. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the school’s students identify 49% as non-white, 52% male and 47% female. $2 million is dedicated to School of Cinematic Arts scholarship and assistantships funding.

“DePaul’s Indie Studio Initiative showcases the filmmakers of tomorrow,” said Bill Vergos, Head of Digital Film Distribution for Freestyle Digital Media. “We at Freestyle have partnered with this unique program because rising talent such as Linh Tran and her team deserve an opportunity for their hard work and creativity to be seen on as many platforms as possible.”

Added Choi: “Freestyle Digital Media is making significant strides to actively foster the genuine exploration of true discovery in the world of cinema by supporting the upcoming generation of filmmakers emerging out of this digital revolution. We are extremely excited as we embark on this journey alongside Freestyle, beginning with the anticipated release of Waiting for the Light to Change this fall and potential collaborations on future films coming out of Indie Studio.”

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