Paulie Go!, a coming-of-age comedy directed by Andrew Nackman (4th Man Out), is set to premiere at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival on May 19th and release nationwide on digital platforms on May 22nd, 2022, courtesy of 1091 Pictures.
Starring Ethan Dizon (Spiderman: Homecoming) and Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2), Paulie Go! follows Paulie (Dizon), an anti-social high school prodigy who steals his uncle’s locksmith van to drive halfway across the country to Northern Minnesota to track down and confront a Professor who rejected his robotics lab application. Along the way, Paulie meets fellow teen Avery (Wolfe), an expert angler who is just as headstrong and fiercely independent as he is.
David Theune (Good Girls) plays Sheriff Anderson, Avery’s father who invites Paulie to stay with them when he’s arrested for stealing his uncle’s van. Though Paulie doesn’t think he needs friends, he needs Sheriff Anderson to take him in, and he needs Avery and her boat to navigate the endless maze of waterways in Northern Minnesota to track down the Professor.
Professor Chuck Shikanski, portrayed by Bernard White (Homeland) is not easy to track down. Although his groundbreaking work is revered throughout the world, his lectures are done remotely via satellite and his whereabouts are unknown. Like Paulie and Avery, the Professor has shut himself off from human connection, with one exception: his misanthropic assistant, portrayed by Cheryl Thoms (Rent) is the protector of his secrets… and her own.
The seeds of Paulie Go! were planted in 2011 when nine-year-old Ethan Dizon was cast as the lead in Andrew Nackman’s debut feature 4th Man Out and award-winning short film, “Paulie.” A decade later, Nackman and Dizon returned to the role in this fish-out-of-water caper that will challenge everything Paulie believes about fulfillment and friendship. In Paulie Go! Paulie and Avery both set out to catch “the big one” hiding amongst the enchanting lakes and loons of the North Woods, but by the end of the film, they realize that they’ve found something far more valuable in each other.
Speaking about the project, Nackman shares, ”We filmed Paulie Go! during Covid on location in the beautiful towns of Nevis and Park Rapids, Minnesota with a production crew comprised almost entirely from the incredibly talented Minneapolis film community. For all of us, it was the first film set we had worked on since the pandemic began. It was a return to work but also a return to our passion for making movies. It was challenging making a film under these circumstances but also very rewarding. I hope for all of our cast and crew that this experience was able to be a creative outlet for them the way it was for me. Paulie Go! at its core is a story about youth, nature, and friendship. It’s a fun, optimistic adventure and I can’t wait for audiences to connect with it!’.
The film is available to rent or own on Digital platforms from May 24th, 2022
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