2022 was a banner year for MPI as we work to promote freedom through film. We ended the year on a high note with the news that the MPI Original Film Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game has been acquired by Vertical Entertainment for distribution in North America and will be released in select theaters and to on-demand streaming platforms Friday, March 17, 2023; MPI Original Films screened at prestigious film festivals around the world winning top awards and delighting audiences and critics alike; we released the MPI Original Series We’re Doing Good; completed principal photography on two narrative feature films which are now in post-production; and supported over 65 freedom-minded filmmakers. Join us below as we rewind 2022 and share a few highlights of what MPI accomplished this year thanks to your support. 

PINBALL DEBUTS AT PRESTIGIOUS HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The MPI Original Film Pinball has screened at a dozen prestigious film festivals in the US and abroad, including its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October. Starring Mike Faist (West Side Story), Crystal Reed (Teen Wolf), and Dennis Boutsikaris (Better Call Saul), Pinball is based on the true story of Roger Sharpe, GQ journalist and real-life pinball wizard, who in 1976 helped overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.

Dazzling audiences and festival juries equally, Pinball has raked in several awards including Overall Audience Choice Award at the Heartland International Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at the Three Rivers Film Festival, and Best Narrative Film at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. The film earned positive press such as a recent four-star review that described the film as “fresh and confident…with bags of charm.”

We can’t wait to share Pinball with audiences in the new year!

WE’RE DOING GOOD ENJOYS ONLINE PREMIERE

The MPI Original Series We’re Doing Good enjoyed its online premiere this month and has already racked up an impressive 110,000 views in a little over a week. Get caught up on the series by watching the first episode above! The series was chosen as an official selection at the preeminent South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival this past March where it screened alongside projects produced by major studios including HBO and FX. We’re Doing Good has gone on to screen at several festivals, winning awards including Best Web Series at the Broad Humor Film Festival and Best Performance at SeriesFest. Developed in MPI’s comedy screenwriting workshop by MPI filmmaker Elvira Ibragimova, the series stars Emily Pendergast (Veep) and Jonathan Braylock (Astronomy Club) as a young couple aspiring to “do good” in the world. But despite their best efforts, they fail humorously and spectacularly at every turn often harming the very causes they are trying to help.

MELONS SCREENS TO PACKED THEATERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

The MPI Original Film Melons was an official selection at 17 notable film festivals this year. The comedy short, developed by MPI filmmaker Matt MacDonald in MPI’s Short Film Lab, had its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. It has gone on to screen across the country winning several accolades including Best Short Film in a field of 150 entries at the Orlando Film Festival. The short stars Brian Huskey (Veep, People of Earth, Bob’s Burgers) and Martin Mull (Clue, Roseanne, Arrested Development) in a delightful comedy about a jolly, but meek, grocery store manager who learns to stand up for himself after a misunderstanding brands him as public enemy #1.

PROJECT HOME BEGINS FESTIVAL RUN

The MPI Original feature documentary Project Home had its world premiere at the highly esteemed Heartland International Film Festival and its California premiere as an official selection at the Awareness Film Festival—with additional screenings scheduled for 2023. Directed by longtime MPI filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson, this documentary demonstrates how community, entrepreneurship, and innovation can transform the housing sector offering a new solution to an age-old problem.

MPI ORIGINAL FILMS COMPLETES PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON TWO NEW FEATURE FILMS

Working with hundreds of cast and crew members, MPI Original Films completed principal photography on two new feature films back-to-back this fall. Written and directed by Oscar-nominee Dianne Houston, Freedom Hair stars Simona Brown (Behind Her Eyes), Sophia Bush (Good Sam, False Positive), and Jeremie Harris (Legion, Fargo). The feature, based on the true story of Melony Armstrong, follows a determined mother who sets out to start a natural hair braiding business to achieve financial independence but must overcome unexpected obstacles imposed by a powerful cosmetology cartel and the state of Mississippi. 

Produced in association with BET and directed by Kelley Kali, Kemba stars Nesta Cooper (See), Michelle Hurd (Star Trek: Picard), Sean Patrick Thomas (Till), Siddiq Saunderson (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), and June Carryl (Helstrom). Inspired by the life of criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith, the film follows Kemba as a young college student who falls in love with a man, only to learn he is a drug kingpin who leads her down a path of abuse and manipulation, placing her in the middle of the government’s “war on drugs,” and ultimately landing her in federal prison.

MPI’S RISING FILMMAKER PROGRAM LAUNCHES THE CAREERS OF PRO-FREEDOM FILMMAKERS

MPI’s Rising Filmmaker Program continues to train and build a network of impressive pro-freedom filmmakers—awarding 818 fellowships, training 445 filmmakers, and placing 250 interns at high-profile production companies and on the sets of MPI Original Films since 2006. In 2022 MPI hosted several workshops led by award-winning industry professionals; developed freedom-oriented calling card films in our Documentary Storytelling Workshop and Short Film Lab; and hosted several interns on the sets of Freedom Hair and Kemba.