EXCLUSIVE: Cartilage Films has taken worldwide rights to Ryan Martin Brown’s feature directorial debut, Free Time for a 2024 domestic release.
Pic stars Colin Burgess as Drew, who is approaching the end of his twenties and, with it, his relative youth. Looking to make a sudden change, he decides to quit his cushy desk job and “embrace life” — only to realize he has no idea what to do with this newfound freedom. Cycling quickly through friends, hobbies, and goals, it’s not long before Drew’s search for meaning leads him back in the direction of his recently vacated post. Brown also wrote the pic which stars Rajat Suresh (Severance, What We Do In The Shadows), Holmes (Welcome to Flatch), Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd), Michael Patrick Nicholson (Socks on Fire), James Webb and Eric Yates,
Free Time was produced by Mackenzie Jamieson, Paula Andrea González-Nasser, Justin Zuckerman and Nolan Kelly.
Said Brown, “I’m thrilled to be working with Cartilage Films and with Jasper Basch, one of the most talented and hardest-working film distributors in the field today. This was a small film, made with a lot of love by a great many people, and I’m excited that audiences will have a chance to get familiar with all of their wonderful work.”
Former IFC Films vet Jasper Basch was recently named Head of Distribution at Variance. He launched Cartilage Films in 2016 and is reviving it as a boutique label which he’ll handle in addition to his role at Variance. Basch negotiated the deal for Free Time on behalf of Cartilage Films with Brown on behalf of 5th Floor Productions.
Clients of Cartilage Films have included MUBI, Screen Media Films, and Arrow Films. Cartilage also handled the all-rights distribution for Bruce LaBruce’s The Misandrists. Cartilage Films is an all-rights distributor for low-budget independent films that don’t fit the models of traditional larger distributors, handling select titles.
Says Basch, “With Free Time, Ryan and his collaborators have created a debut feature that perfectly captures the spirit of a generation. It’s an extraordinary debut that’s full of insight into millennial ennui, and it tells its story with sharp humor and filmmaking flourishes that feel timeless yet modern, anchored by Colin’s mesmerizing performance. I’m excited to give audiences the opportunity to discover this wonderful film.”