Aero Films Picks Up Ivy League Satire "Kingston" for North American Release in 2027
Aero Films has bought the North American rights to "Kingston," an Ivy League satire, and plans to release it in 2027, Variety reported.
Rights deals decide who gets to show a film in the United States and Canada, which is the territory the trade calls North America. A satire is a comedy that uses mockery to comment on its subject, here the Ivy League universities.
"Kingston" is the feature debut of co-directors Carlos Key and Kalijah Rowe. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York, a showcase where buyers and sales agents look for films to pick up. The screenplay is credited to Carlos Key, Kalijah Rowe, Claire Levesque and Jenna Shen, and Jenna Shen also produced the film. Hailey Russo served as associate producer. Ryan Pallas and Tristan Bland are executive producers.
The deal was negotiated by Donaldson Callif Perez for the filmmakers and by Ryan Pallas for Aero Films. Pallas is the co-founder and chief executive of the company, which he started in 2026. Aero describes itself as a New York City-based independent marketing and distribution company, meaning it does not belong to a major studio and handles both the marketing and the release of films.
"Kingston" is Aero's second acquisition from the 2026 Tribeca Festival. The first was "Lucy Schulman," which stars David Cross and Sandrine Holt and is set for release in early 2027. That gives Aero two Tribeca films on its calendar for the coming year.
Aero's wider slate also includes Steve Pink's sci-fi thriller "Terrestrial," starring Jermaine Fowler, James Morosini, Pauline Chalamet and Edy Modica.
For a small company, a festival premiere followed by a North American deal is a familiar path. Films shown at Tribeca and similar events often sell within weeks, then wait a year or more for a cinema date. The 2027 window for "Kingston" gives Aero time to plan its marketing and choose a release slot. No release date has been announced beyond the year.
What comes next is a release date, a trailer and a marketing campaign. Those are the steps that will show how Aero plans to reach audiences for a debut comedy from first-time directors.
