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    Pushing Dead

    Directed by Tom E. Brown
    U.S. | 111 minutes | World Cinema Now

  • View Trailer

    Pushing Dead

    Directed by Tom E. Brown
    U.S. | 111 minutes | World Cinema Now

  • View Trailer

    Pushing Dead

    Directed by Tom E. Brown
    U.S. | 111 minutes | World Cinema Now

An HIV positive man in San Francisco dealing with the bureaucratic nightmares of the healthcare system may not sound like the premise of a comedy, but this droll, warm and surprising film finds laughs in the unlikeliest of places. Winner: Audience Award, Frameline.

film synopsis

The problems for Dan (James Roday) start when he deposits his mom's $100 birthday check. According to the bureaucracy of health care, that means he has too much money in his bank account to qualify for benefits-and because he's HIV positive, he'll have to come up with three grand a month to pay for his mountain of pills! Money he doesn't have. Does this sound like the premise of a comedy? Indeed it is, and in the confident hands of writer/director Tom E. Brown, a droll, warm and quietly subversive comedy about friendship, coping and creating our own families.

The wonderful cast includes Robin Weigert as Dan's roommate Paula, the sister of his late ex, and Danny Glover as Bob, his boss and old pal at the club where Dan is both bouncer and occasional participant in ill-attended poetry slams. Bob has his own troubles: trying to win back the affection of his pissed-off wife (Khandi Alexander). Brown's low-key, refreshingly unpredictable debut film deservedly won the audience award at the Frameline Film Festival.

Winner: Best Director, Orlando; Discovery Award, Calgary; Audience Award, Frameline

film details

Director: Tom E. Brown
Producers: Chris Martin, Richard LaGravenese, Jim Bloom, Eyde Belasco
Screenwriter: Tom E. Brown
Cinematographers: Frazer Bradshaw
Editor: Robert Schafer
Music: Mark De Gli Antoni
Cast: James Roday, Danny Glover, Robin Weigert, Khandi Alexander, Tom Riley
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Year: 2016
Running Time: 111 minutes
Awards: Audience Award, Frameline; Best Director, Orlando; Discovery Award, Calgary
Website: pushingdead.com

guests in attendance

Tom E. Brown – Director

Robin Weigert - Actress (January 6 only)

2017 PS Film Festival