LOGLINE
Hard-living Joan has one weekend to win back Ruby, her straight-laced daughter, or lose her forever. But as Ruby rejects her efforts, Joan inches towards a breakdown, facing failure as a mother just like she failed as a musician.
SYNOPSIS
In the heart of upstate New York in 1982, Joan Pearl, a hard-living, once-promising singer, has one last chance to connect with Ruby Pearl, her 15-year-old daughter. Straight-laced yet vulnerable, Ruby navigates her tumultuous relationship with Joan, whose erratic attempts at motherhood oscillate between heartfelt and misguided. Sam, an orphaned boy being raised by his hard-nosed brother, forms an unlikely bond with Ruby and unintentionally guides her through the earthy characters living at a semi-communal party house inhabited by misfits known as “The Rocks”. As the weekend progresses, the layers of each character's armor begin to peel away, revealing their yearning for love, understanding, and a sense of belonging. The key point of conflict hinges on Joan's battle against her own demons, Ruby's quest for stability, and the collective struggle to redefine what family means amidst their imperfections. "The Pearls" is a story about the beauty and pain of family, the scars we carry, and the possibility of forgiveness. With each moment of conflict, laughter, and heartbreak, the film invites viewers into the Pearls' world, leaving them yearning to discover if this weekend will lead to the family's undoing or their salvation.
AWARD WINNING SHORT FILM
The feature script, The Pearls, follows characters first developed in the short film “Every Other Weekend,” as it expands upon the relationships and world of that story. The film stars Tony-nominated Broadway veteran Keala Settle (who stars as the Bearded Lady in The Greatest Showman) and two highly talented child actors; Angelina Palma and Julian Lerner. The film was accepted into over 20 film festivals and received “Best Film” accolades from Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, Lake Shorts Independent Film Festival, Westfield International Film Festival, and Venice Short Film Festival.
CAST
ANIKA NONI ROSE
Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose is a revered and versatile force in the entertainment industry. Her exceptional singing and dramatic acting talents have earned accolades across stage and screen. Rose's compelling performances in Dreamgirls, Roots, and For Colored Girls have earned her multiple NAACP Image Awards, while her work on Broadway has been recognized with multiple Tony and Drama Desk nominations. Her groundbreaking voice role as Princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog established her as Disney's first African American princess, cementing her status as a cultural icon.
With her films collectively grossing over $750 million worldwide, Rose stands as one of the most influential and magnetic actors of her generation.
(Producer & Lead Actor)
GARRET DILLAHUNT
Award-winning actor, Garret Dillahunt captivates audiences with his extraordinary range and commanding presence. His notable film roles include 12 Years a Slave (Oscar Winner: Best Picture), No Country for Old Men (Oscar Winner: Best Picture), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Looper and Winter's Bone (Oscar Nomination: Best Picture). Dillahunt is well known for his work in television, including the roles Burt Chance on the Fox sitcom Raising Hope, for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Jack McCall and Francis Wolcott in Deadwood, and John Dorie in Fear the Walking Dead (2018–2021). He has also appeared in The 4400, ER, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Burn Notice, Justified, and The Mindy Project (2015–2017). He starred in the Amazon Studios drama series Hand of God (2014–2017).
(Lead Actor)
"Arthur Futuro" (TV Movie)
"Girl Friend" (Short Film)
"Every Other Weekend" (Short Film)
"The Quaran-Teen(s)" (TV Mini Series)
"Saturday Night Live"
"Chicago Med" (TV Series)
"South Side" (TV Series)
"FBI" (TV Series)
"CSI" (TV Series)
"The Young and the Restless"
"Adventure Force 5"
"The Meanest Man in Texas" (TV Series)
"La Brea" (Regular) (TV Series)
"Young Jedi Adventures" (TV Series)
"Chicago Fire" (TV Series)
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
JOSH VICTOR ROTHSTEIN
(Director & Co-Writer)
Josh Victor Rothstein is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer. He has directed three feature films, including: 3 Points, a documentary about the plight of Darfur refugees starring Tracy McGrady, The Excellent Theopolis, a documentary highlighting street musician Theopolis Coburn: and Dukale’s Dream, the inspirational documentary behind Hugh Jackman’s fair trade coffee company, which won Best Documentary Feature Premiere at the Heartland Film Festival.
Rothstein has directed multi-platform behind-the-scenes documentaries on The Great Gatsby, The Greatest Showman, the 81st Academy Awards, and was Baz Luhrmann’s cinematographer for the Prada Meets Schiaparelli installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rothstein has created commercial campaigns for international brands such as: Puma, Samsung, Citibank, HP, Disney, Square Space, Terra Chips, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, Heineken, Jack Daniels, and Mastercard; and has worked with the top names in the sports and the entertainment industry, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Nick Jonas, Kevin Durant, Usain Bolt, Zendaya, Rashida Jones, Jack White, P Diddy, and John Legend. Most recently, Rothstein was commissioned by the DNC to photograph VP Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.
Rothstein’s most recent directing work is also his most personal: in 2018, Josh directed the short film Every Other Weekend. The film was accepted into over 20 film festivals and received “Best Film” accolades from Williamsburg Independent, Lake Shorts International, Westfield International, and the Venice Short Film Festival.
Rothstein is the co-founder of Dinner Roll TV, an after-school program that teaches and empowers students to cultivate their creative skills by providing marketing assistance to local restaurants.
DANNY MOONEY
(Producer)
Danny Mooney is a Swiss Army knife in the world of storytelling as a producer, director and actor. He was a Student Oscar Finalist while at the University of Michigan and has since produced, directed and acted in films premiering and winning awards in such festivals as Toronto, Berlin, Austin, multiple films in Cannes (with one Palme d’Or nomination), and the Sundance Film Festival.
Mooney has produced over a dozen feature films alongside some of the best indie filmmakers in the industry, along with everyone from ex-Studio heads to celebrities such as Shaquille O-Neal and Danny Glover. Love and Honor, starring Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer, marked Mooney’s feature directorial debut – which received a worldwide theatrical release, hit #1 on iTunes and remained on Netflix’s “Trending Now” chart for nearly a year.
Mooney first entered the industry as an actor and has served under directors ranging from Drew Barrymore and Nick Stoller to Zack Snyder and George Clooney. Mooney has acted on screen across from such talent as Jason Segal, Elliot Page, Henry Cavill, Dakota Johnson, Benicio Del Toro, Greta Gerwig, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ryan Gosling.
DAVID B. WEINSTEIN
(Executive Producer)
David B. Weinstein is a technology and real estate investor. In January of 2021, Dave sold his company HomeKeepr (a SaaS solution for Realtors) where he was a co-founder.
Before that, Weinstein was in finance where he has worked in commercial real estate and fixed income trading for JPMorgan Chase. Dave has always had a passion for film. Before going to business school, he worked at a film fund, Foundry Films.
Weinstein is a strategy-driven leader with a strong and consistent track record of success in helping companies to achieve their goals. Weinstein got an MBA and a BS from Cornell University.
KIM WILLIAMS
(Casting Director)
Kim Williams most recently served as VP Casting at Disney Television Studios from October 2019 - April 2023. Kim served as casting director for season 4 the critically acclaimed series Genius, highlighting lives of the leaders of the civil rights movement Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. She cast the lead in Lee Daniels’ upcoming limited series for Hulu, Sammy Davis Jr. She also cast the teen leads Disney+ series The Crossover, as well as the pilot and first season of Freeform's hit series Single Drunk Female. Kim joined ABC as director of casting in early 2019, working on the critically acclaimed For Life. Kim is passionate about diversity, belonging, inclusion and equity and was actively involved in several projects and initiatives across The Walt Disney Company. In addition, Kim worked on Greg Berlanti’s All American, Narcos, The Bernie Mac Show and Martin, and Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman and feature films including My Little One and Payment Received. Kim worked on The HBO Access Project, allowing her to guide casting while mentoring creative minds from diverse backgrounds over eight projects. Previously, at Paramount Pictures and Television, Kim oversaw the casting for Annihilation, Looking for Alaska, Jack Reacher: Never Look Back, The Alienist and Grease: Live! While at Fox, Kim served as director of casting on shows including Prison Break, Glee, and Sarah Conner Chronicles. Kim also spent close to a decade at HBO as a director of casting.
(Music Composer)
FIL EISLER
Fil Eisler is an award-winning composer known for his diverse range of projects, from blockbuster action films to indie gems and popular TV series. His innovative scores and distinctive themes enhance shows like Empire, UnReal, Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce, and Shameless. He was the composer and conductor for Revenge and created music for To The Bone and CHIPS. Eisler's film credits include Proud Mary, The Titan, and How To Be Single. He directed the music for the Peabody- winning documentary Newtown. Eisler's career blossomed after the Sundance Film Composer's Lab in 2008. He won acclaim at festivals, notably at SXSW for Natural Selection. Variety called his music "smoky, film noir-inspired," and Beatweek praised its immersive quality. Eisler has received awards like the World Soundtrack Awards New Discovery and BMI awards
BREE MICHAEL WARNER
(Production Accountant)
Bree Michael Warner is an actor, producer, production manager, and production accountant. Warner began stretching her resume behind the scenes, with a producorial debut at the Tribeca Film Festival where she produced and starred in the comedy Trust Me, I’m a Lifeguard.
From there her production management credits grew and include the Amazon series Big Dogs, and feature films Daughter of the Bride starring Aidan Quinn and Marsha Gay Harden, The Winter House with Lily Taylor, Hallmark’s A Holiday Spectacular and Redemption and Cherry Springs and included most recently A Wonderful Way with Dragons, One Night Stay and Holly Jolly with Chris Elliot and Rebecca De Mornay. Recently added to the slate are Killing Faith with Guy Pearce and Tim Roth and There’s She Goes starring Rachael Leigh Cook.
BOBBY PERETTI
(Producer, Co-writer)
Bobby Peretti is a writer and freelancer who has worked in many areas of entertainment. He studied writing and film at Johns Hopkins University, where he won a student grant to write and direct his first short film, and co-wrote another short that premiered in New York and Paris in 2021. He produced, hosted, and co-taught a two-week screenwriting retreat through his company, Wheelhouse Films. He has written episodic web content, script reviews for Big Beach Films and Nostos Films, and worked variously in production, AD, and locations departments of many New York City films, ranging from Netflix flagships to indie avant-garde, including projects by Charlie Kaufman, Sam Esmail, Michel Franco, and many others. He has worked closely with Bend Creative and director Josh Victor Rothstein on many narrative and commercial projects over the years. He is also a consulting writer and media producer for the New York Academy of Art. Besides all this, he currently attends Fordham Law School at night.
JILL ROTHSTEIN
(Wardrobe Director)
Jill Rothstein is a New York-based creative director and stylist, represented by the Wall Group. Her passion for working with children with special needs led her to earning a Master’s degree in social work at Columbia University–but fashion beckoned and after having her own children, Jill commissioned her photographer/filmmaker husband (Josh Victor Rothstein) to shoot a children’s editorial she styled and art directed. It was accepted into a magazine, and a dream career merging her two loves—kids and fashion—was born. Since then, Jill’s attention to detail and expertise in working with both children and adults, keeps her in steady demand with clients such as; America Girl, Zappos, Kardashian Kids, Skip Hop, Oeuf, Little Marc Jacobs, Bloomingdales, Farfetch, Michael Kors kids, Luibelle, Cabbages & Kings, Terra Chips, DL1961, Janie & Jack, Ladida, and Maisonette. Magazine editorials for Vogue Mexico, Harper's Bazaar Kids, Milk, Hooligans, and Schön.
EVAN JAKE COHEN
(Director of Photography)
Evan Jake Cohen is a NYC-based cinematographer. He's traveled the U.S. and the world making films, commercials, documentaries, and promos for major networks and brands such as NBCUniversal, Mercedes-Benz, Heineken, and Nike.
Recent highlights include the feature film The Reunion by writer-director Roland Ellis; a Mercedes-Benz commercial featuring Alicia Keys, directed by Cheryl Dunn; the short films The Privates from writer-director Dylan Allen, a Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere and Short of the Week's Best of the Month, Fill Your Heart With French Fries by writer-director Tamar Glezerman, a Vimeo Staff Pick and Short of the Week's Comedy of the Year, Every Other Weekend by writer-director Josh Rothstein, winner of Best Short Drama Award at Venice Short Film, Lakeshorts, Westfield and Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, and Hey Girl by director Haley Geffen, winner of a Humanitarian Award at Best Shorts Competition.
BRIYONNA HARRISON
(Website Designer)
Briyonna Harrison is a freelance graphic and web designer with extensive experience. At Rush Street Interactive, she designed content for online casinos and sportsbooks, overseeing projects like the new VIP campaign for BetRivers/Play SugarHouse. Briyonna has over six years of experience as a Teleprompter Operator at Majestic Prompting, working with prominent networks and brands such as Netflix, A&E, TV One, USA, Paramount Plus, NFL, ESPN, ABC, and Bloomberg Media.
Briyonna holds an Associate's Degree in Cinematography and Film/Video Production from The Art Institute of New York City and has studied UX design, human-computer interaction, edX, Udacity, and is proficient in numerous design tools including Adobe Creative Suites and Sketch.
In addition to her design work. Briyonna is an aspiring photographer and recently traveled through Asia capturing portraits and creating a photography travel series.
VIDEOS
PITCH VIDEO
Watch director Josh Victor Rothstein and his piers share the origin story of “The Pearls”. Josh shares unique background details about his inspiration for the story and shares his enthusiasm and excitement about the momentum the team has gathered thus far.
TONE VIDEO
By tapping into inspirational films with a similar genre and feel, plus interspersing clips from our proof of concept short film “Every Other Weekend”, this 2 min compilation video serves to convey the tone and feel of the world of “The Pearls”.
BTS SNEAK PEEK
Watch Anika Noni Rose’s recording session of “All Man’s Land”. At the outset of our story, we meet Joan Pearl, a singer nearing the twilight of her career. Caught between her dual role as mother and aspiring musician, we soon learn she is haunted by the echoes of 'All Man's Land,' a song at the heart of her brief encounter with stardom. (password protected)
Contact filmmakers to request access.
SHORT FILM
Check out the trailer for our proof of concept short film “Every Other Weekend”. The Pearls, follows characters first developed in this short film, as it expands upon the relationships and world of that story. The film was accepted into over 20 film festivals and received “Best Film” accolades from the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, Lake Shorts Independent Film Festival, Westfield International Film Festival, and Venice Short Film Festival.
Please contact us to receive a private link to watch the full-length version.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
When I was 19, my father handed me a cardboard box of old cassette tapes, labeled with his faded scrawl. My dad was a songwriter, so cassettes were omnipresent in his house. But these were different. I was a young film student making a documentary about my childhood and was looking for as much footage of that time as I could find.
But as he handed me this box, he gave a warning: these tapes held dark moments, heated fights with my mother, recorded without her knowledge. If really wanted to dig into this past, it was up to me to decide how deep to go. I had a choice to make. Like Ruby, my brother and I bounced back and forth between my mother’s extremely formal household to my father’s erratic, unstructured world.
Conflict between these worlds defined my childhood. Being taught by each parent to view the other as the enemy was an impossible emotional paradox to navigate.
But despite all the madness, light found a way in. We spent weekends with my father, at his friend's house in upstate New York, equal parts wilderness, party house, and construction site. No bedtime, no vegetables, and a leash so long, it didn’t exist. The sprawling, dilapidated house sat on a hillside above a pond with acres and acres of open space surrounded us.
This boundless freedom forced us to grow up fast, in ways both good and bad. With The Pearls, I have transposed these moments into fiction.
The we have created stands apart from my life story it’s characters are its own, distinct from my experience. But it carries the empathy and emotional weight of someone who’s faced what Ruby is facing and understands how she cantranscend her world, and thrive, despite the chaos around her.
In this story, Ruby discovers a boy of her own, filled with tapes of her parents, fighting and manipulating. She has a choice to make, too. Will she delve into the muck of her parents’ ugliest moments? Or does she let it go.
In my story, I eventually chose not to listen to any of the tapes of my mother's voice as I realized more than just my documentary was at stake and no good could come from hearing them. That choice proved vital for me. It allowed me to move forward without the burden of resentment. That acceptance is what Ruby needs to find. The Pearls is her story on that journey.