Dolphin Subsidiary 42West Prepares for the Fall Festival Season with Prolific Client Slate

Rhea-AI Summary

42West, a subsidiary of Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), is showcasing a strong presence at major fall film festivals with an impressive slate of films and filmmakers. The entertainment PR firm is representing seven film campaigns at the Toronto International Film Festival's 50th anniversary, including five seeking North American distribution.

Notable titles include Youngblood (a remake starring Blair Underwood), Hamlet (starring Riz Ahmed), and Nuremberg (featuring Russell Crowe). The company is also representing high-profile projects at the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals, including Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White, and will have a presence at the upcoming New York Film Festival.

Toronto, Telluride and New York Slates Include "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," "The History of Sound," "Nuremberg," "Roofman," "Youngblood" and Projects from Filmmakers Mary Bronstein, Scott Cooper, Bryan Fuller, Dan Levy, Rebecca Miller

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESS Newswire / September 2, 2025 / The entertainment PR and marketing powerhouse 42West, a subsidiary of Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), will represent several feature films and filmmakers at 2025's Toronto International Film Festival, marking the festival's 50th anniversary. For the landmark year, 42West is representing seven film campaigns, five of which are seeking North American distribution out of the festival, and five filmmakers across different genres and mediums.

42West's film slate includes five titles seeking acquisition:

• Dolphin's Youngblood, a remake of the 1986 sports classic directed by Academy Award nominee Hubert Davis and starring Blair Underwood, will seek acquisition out of the festival with its world premiere.

• From Oscar winner director Aneil Karia, Hamlet, is a contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare's classic, starring Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed, Art Malik, Sheeba Chadha, Joe Alwyn, Mordfydd Clark, and Timothy Spall.

• The documentary Powwow People from director Sky Hopinka brings viewers into a First Nations powwow in true cinematic fashion.

• Retreat from filmmaker Ted Evans is a groundbreaking thriller set at an isolated retreat for deaf individuals. The film will be presented with a combination of live ASL captioning and open captioning at all its showings. 42West client Anne Zander, a member of the cast, will attend the festival on behalf of the film.

• Nick Davis' You Had to Be There dives into the 1972 Canadian production of Godspell, which was the launch platform for many big names including 42West client Eugene Levy (who will attend the festival on behalf of the film), Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Jayne Eastwood.

Feature length films with distribution from the 42West slate include:

• Sony Pictures Classics' Nuremberg from writer/director James Vanderbilt stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, and Leo Woodall. 42West client Bradley Fischer is among the producers. The film is making its world premiere at the festival.

• GKIDS' Little Amélie or the Character Of Rain debuts at TIFF with its North American premiere following an Audience Award win at Annecy.

Filmmakers and actors represented by 42West with titles at the festival include:

• Mary Bronstein's If I Had Legs I'd Kick You screens at TIFF following its acclaimed debut at Sundance and Berlin Film Festival win for Rose Byrne. A24 will release the film in theaters on October 10, and it will also make its New York premiere at the New York Film Festival this fall. The film also stars longtime client Conan O'Brien in a standout supporting performance.

• Bryan Fuller makes his feature-length directorial debut with the whimsical thriller Dust Bunny starring Mads Mikkelsen, Sigourney Weaver, and David Dastmalchian. Roadside Attractions will release the film theatrically on December 5.

• Dan Levy produces the new ABC News/Hulu documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, which takes a look at Sarah MacLachlan's iconic all-female concert tour.

• Producer Ashley Schlaifer's Train Dreams makes its Canadian premiere at the festival ahead of its launch on Netflix this November.

• Miramax's Roofman starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield and Peter Dinklage will make its world premiere at the festival ahead of its wide theatrical release from Paramount Pictures on October 10.

• Lena Góra will also attend the festival; she co-wrote and stars in the highly-anticipated Erupcja, from director Pete Ohs.

In addition to Toronto, 42West also had a major presence at the recent Venice International Film Festival, where client Alexander Payne served as Jury President for the prestigious competition, and the Telluride Film Festival, where clients Scott Cooper and producers Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson of The Gotham Group debuted their new film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White as the iconic musician. The film will also play at the upcoming New York Film Festival in advance of its October 24 theatrical release from 20th Century Studios.

The Telluride slate also included the aforementioned Hamlet and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, plus Oliver Hermanus' historical romantic drama The History of Sound and Ethan Hawke's documentary Highway 99: A Double Album, a musical travelogue that chronicles the epic, American story of one of our greatest musical voices, Merle Haggard.

The New York Film Festival will also include the World Premiere of client Rebecca Miller's upcoming documentary series Mr. Scorsese, a five-part portrait of yet another longtime 42West director, Martin Scorsese. The series will premiere on Apple TV+ on October 17.

ABOUT DOLPHIN:
Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) was founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd and has evolved from its origins as an Emmy-nominated television, digital and feature film content producer to a company with three dynamic divisions: Dolphin Entertainment, Dolphin Marketing and Dolphin Ventures.

Dolphin Entertainment: This legacy division, where it all began, has a rich history of producing acclaimed television shows, digital content and feature films. With high-profile partners like IMAX and notable projects including The Blue Angels, Dolphin Entertainment continues to set the standard in quality storytelling and innovative content creation.

Dolphin Marketing: Established in 2017, the Marketing division, which was just named by Observer as the 2025 #1 Agency of the Year, is a powerhouse in public relations, influencer marketing, branding strategy, talent booking and special events. Comprising top-tier companies such as 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects, The Digital Dept., and Always Alpha, Dolphin Marketing serves a wide range of industries - from entertainment, music and sports to hospitality, fashion and consumer products.

Dolphin Ventures: This division leverages Dolphin's best-in-class cross-marketing acumen and business development relationships to create, launch and/or accelerate innovative ideas and promising products, events and content in our areas of expertise.

This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

# # #

CONTACT:
James Carbonara
HAYDEN IR
(646)-755-7412
james@haydenir.com

SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

What films is 42West representing at TIFF 2025?

42West is representing seven films at TIFF, including Youngblood, Hamlet, Powwow People, Retreat, You Had to Be There, Nuremberg, and Little Amélie or the Character Of Rain.

How many Dolphin (DLPN) films are seeking distribution at TIFF 2025?

Five films represented by 42West are seeking North American distribution at TIFF, including Youngblood, Hamlet, Powwow People, Retreat, and You Had to Be There.

When will Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere be released in theaters?

The film will be released theatrically by 20th Century Studios on October 24, 2025, following its debut at Telluride Film Festival.

Which major upcoming theatrical releases are being represented by 42West?

Major upcoming releases include Roofman (October 10), If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (October 10), Dust Bunny (December 5), and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (October 24).

What is Dolphin's Youngblood about?

Youngblood is a remake of the 1986 sports classic, directed by Academy Award nominee Hubert Davis and starring Blair Underwood. The film will have its world premiere at TIFF seeking distribution.