EXCLUSIVE: Level 33 Entertainment has taken domestic on H.P. Mendoza’s The Secret Art of Human Flight, which made its world premiere at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival. A July theatrical release has been set followed by a debut on digital platforms.
Pic written by Jesse Orenshein centers around a children’s book author, Ben Grady (Grant Rosenmeyer), who mourning the loss of his wife (Reina Hardesty, It’s What’s Inside) stumbles upon a self-help manifesto written by an eccentric guru calling himself “Mealworm” (Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for Sound of Metal, Paul Raci) that promises to unlock the power to fly. The book arrives… and so does Mealworm, forcing Ben to navigate his family life, accusations of foul play, and the bizarre rituals laid before him in the hopes of healing and, just maybe, achieving flight. Pic also stars Lucy DeVito (Little Demon), Nican Robinson (Ahsoka), Rosa Arredondo (So Help Me Todd), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever) and Maggie Grace (Fear the Walking Dead.).
Rosenmeyer produced the pic via his Florida Hill Entertainment, alongside Tina Carbone, Benjamin Wiessner, and Jonathan Lim. EPs are Raci via his shingle Codaheart, Florida Hill’s Barry Galperin and Marisa Milroy, Steve Alexander, City Hill Arts’ Steven P. Wegner, Matt Miller for Vanishing Angle, Chicago Media Angels’ Kelly Aisthorpe Waller, Ted Reilly and John Waller, Dweck Productions’ Hannah Dweck and Theodore Schaefer, Marginal Media’s Milan Chakraborty, and Andrew Mardis and Brent Pennington on behalf of Rogue Wave Productions. Deborah Sims (Cold Wallet) serves as co-producer.
The creative team tells Deadline, “As longtime fans of Andreas (Olavarria) and his team, we are thrilled to be partnering with Level 33 Entertainment for North American distribution, a company that understands what makes our film special, and is committed to giving it the thought and care it deserves. So much love and passion was poured into making The Secret Art of Human Flight, a deeply personal, handcrafted film and we can’t wait to share it with audiences in theaters this summer.”
Added Level 33 President & CEO Andreas Olavarria, “We’re honored to be able to work with the talented filmmakers behind The Secret Art of Human Flight as we’ve been huge admirers of Grant (Rosenmeyer), Paul (Raci), and the producing team for years and are proud to bring this heartfelt and uniquely entertaining story to screens both big and small.”
Mendoza previously wrote the screenplay and music for Colma: The Musical and directed the award-winning cult films I Am a Ghost, Bitter Melon and Attack, Decay, Release which earned him the 2024 Marlon Riggs Award from the San Francisco Film Critics Circle for “representing courage and innovation in the world of cinema.”
Pic’s deal was negotiated by Pip Ngo of XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers, and Olavarria on behalf of Level 33.