by: Tom Grater, Deadline
Here’s the first footage from Stay Awake, the American feature that debuts in the Berlin Film Festival’s Generation 14plus program this month.
Jamie Sisley directed the movie, which stars This Is Us regular Chrissy Metz, Wyatt Oleff and Fin Argus in the story of two teenagers who try their best to navigate the pressures of teenage life while tending to their mother’s debilitating prescription drug addiction. The narrative is based on the filmmaker’s adolescence in small-town America.
Sisley’s short film of the same title won the Jury Prize for Best Short at Slamdance in 2015.
Producers on the feature are Shrihari Sathe and Eric Schultz. WME and MarVista Entertainment are handling worldwide sales.
“One of the biggest reasons I wanted to make Stay Awake was to offer an alternative point of view by telling the story of the loved ones of addicts, the difficult journey they go through as they help someone through addiction. I also want Stay Awake to humanize the addict. In drawing back to experiences with my mom, I feel like nobody chooses to be an addict. It’s a disease,” Sisley said.
The premiere is February 12 in Berlin.
Check out the clip above.
Director of Photography - Alejandro Mejia, AMC
