Shatara Michelle Ford's 'Dreams in Nightmares' Heads to Theatres After BlackStar Premiere
Shatara Michelle Ford's second feature, Dreams in Nightmares, will reach US theatres on 21 August through the small distributor Lunette Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film made its world premiere at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia, a festival showcasing work by Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists.
The road movie follows three Black queer friends — Z, played by Denée Benton, alongside Jasmin Savoy Brown and Charlie Barnett — as they traverse the country and continent. Z has just been laid off, setting the journey in motion. NewFest, which hosted the film's New York premiere on 31 May at SVA in Manhattan, lists the running time at 128 minutes and categorises it as a comedy-drama (NewFest).
Ford's debut feature, Test Pattern, was nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Feature and three Independent Spirit Awards, per The Hollywood Reporter. Those nominations marked her as a film-maker to watch within the independent sector — the corner of the industry where budgets are small, distribution is fragile, and a theatrical run is never guaranteed.
The new film is a co-production of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan (NewFest). IndieWire debuted the trailer in June (IndieWire), giving audiences a first look ahead of the festival circuit.
The Hollywood Reporter published an exclusive feature on Ford and the film's path to theatrical release on 11 August (The Hollywood Reporter). That a small distributor like Lunette Films is committing to a theatrical run — rather than a straight-to-streaming drop — is itself a decision worth noting. In the independent space, theatrical placement requires real investment in prints, advertising, and booking, with no guarantee of return. The 21 August date positions the film in the late-summer corridor, after the blockbuster season has peaked and before awards-season contenders begin crowding screens.
For audiences, the theatrical release means a chance to see Ford's follow-up on a big screen — the format its cross-country road-movie scope was designed for.
