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Scatena & Rosner Films has acquired distribution rights for North America, Australia and New Zealand for the LGBTQ indie dramedy “Actual Nobodies,” written and directed by Alex Wyse. S&R picked the film up at this year’s
Cannes Market.
Germany’s Media Luna New Films has secured rights for all remaining territories. A U.S. release is planned for early 2027.
Marking Wyse’s solo feature directorial debut following the GLAAD Media Award-nominated and ARTIOS-winning “Summoning Sylvia,” “Actual Nobodies” stars legendary actress Didi Conn (“Grease,” “Best Medicine”) and Austin P. McKenzie (“When We Rise,” “Speech & Debate”).
“Actual Nobodies” tells the story of two lonely outsiders who find unexpected companionship when Joyce (Conn), a whimsical woman in her seventies, rents out her spare room to Anthony (McKenzie), a young gay man in search of solitude.
The ensemble also includes Greta Quispe (“American Fiction,” “New Amsterdam”), Paul Lieber (“Alias,” “Barney Miller”), Will Chase (“Stranger Things,” “Dopesick”), Jason Veasey (“Only Murders in the Building,” “Best Medicine”), Olli Haaskivi (“Widow’s Bay,” “Oppenheimer”) and David T. Patterson (“The Gilded Age,” “Blue Bloods”).
“’Actual Nobodies’ is a story about the people who feel invisible to the world and the surprising ways they ultimately connect with one another,” Wyse said in a statement Tuesday. “Making this film with this extraordinary cast and crew was deeply personal, and finding partners in Scatena & Rosner, who truly believe in filmmaker-driven, emotionally resonant storytelling, makes this next chapter especially exciting.”
Gato Scatena and Jordan Rosner of Scatena & Rosner Films added: “Alex has a unique voice that balances humor and heart with incredible precision. Actual Nobodies is exactly the kind of elevated, theatrical-forward independent cinema we are passionate about championing, and we’re thrilled to have launched the film’s global journey in Cannes. Independent films don’t break through simply because they’re well made—they break through because they make audiences feel something. Actual Nobodies does exactly that.”
“Films with genuine emotional authenticity have tremendous international appeal, and Actual Nobodies delivers exactly that. Alex Wyse has created a heartfelt, uplifting film with universal themes that we believe will resonate with international buyers and audiences alike,” Media Luna New Films’ Ida Martin said.
Producer Cody Lassen of Alder Street Productions said, “From the moment we began sharing the film, we felt it connect with audiences in a profound way. Scatena & Rosner and Media Luna immediately understood both its emotional core and its broader marketplace potential. We’re excited to partner with them as we introduce Actual Nobodies to buyers and audiences around the world.”
Producing alongside Tony Award-winning and Grammy-nominated Lassen’s Alder Street Productions (“Summoning Sylvia,” “Indecent”) is Trey Tetreault (“Holding Back the Tide”), and Wyse, with co-producers Neil Gooding Productions, Second Set Productions, and associate producers Rayshaun Sandlin and Pam Moriarty.
The film features cinematography by Al Bouchillon, editing by Sara Corrigan, music by Max Mueller, costumes by Nadia Durham, and production design by Rachel Aileen Abraham. The film was shot on location in New Jersey.
Lassen and Wyse previously collaborated on the horror-comedy feature “Summoning Sylvia,” which received a theatrical release, was acquired by Starz, and currently holds a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
