‘Weak Layers’: Greenwich Entertainment Acquires Ski Comedy From First-Time Feature Helmer Katie Burrell
EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment announced today the acquisition of North American distribution rights to Katie Burrell’s feature debut Weak Layers.
The film is directed and co-written by Burrell (who also stars), and Andrew Ladd, also stars Chelsea Conwright and Jadyn Wong. Weak Layers will arrive in theaters in top 50 markets and in select mountain towns on January 5, and on VOD on February 6, 2024.
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The three women star as evicted roommates who enter a ski-movie contest to resolve their living situation. Set in Lake Tahoe, these three passionate and lovably rowdy local women go on a quest to win a world-famous 72-hour short ski film competition. A progressive throwback to the cult classics, the film dissects modern, male-driven ski culture while championing the tight-knit local communities found in ski towns throughout the world.
“I love anything that upends a trope and this movie is full of the kind of teasing satire that satisfies the rebel in me. Having the opportunity to flip the script on the bro-dominated ski and snowboard industry in a way that makes people laugh is a dream come true, and I am thrilled to partner with Greenwich to get this out to audiences across the country,” stated Burrell.
Realization Films, a production company dedicated to highlighting new voices and perspectives from the mountains, came on board to produce Weak Layers after principals Jared Drake and Steve Siig discovered Burrell’s short Dream Job, produced by Colleen Gentemann. Their previous project, the award-winning documentary Buried about the Alpine Meadows avalanche in 2022, is currently available on Netflix.
“We wanted to make a first run film that speaks directly to the mountain community without pandering to them. It also needed to be a bonafide film that both skiing and non-skiing audiences could relate to. Many of the pitches we heard straddled one side of the fence; it wasn’t until we heard Katie’s take that we knew we had a movie,” said producer Jared Drake.
“Katie Burrell’s very fun Weak Layers stands the King of the Mountain ski movie tropes on their head as it fashions a post-Bridesmaids female-centric comedy with more on its mind than the obligatory partying, pow, sick lines and big air,” said Greenwich co-president Edward Arentz.
In addition to Burrell, Conwright, and Wong, Weak Layers features performances from Evan Jonigkeit, Neal Bledsoe, and KC Deane. The film also features cameos from high-altitude professional talent such as Michelle Parker, JT Holmes, Jonny Moseley, Cody Townsend, Elyse Saugstad, Scott Gaffney, Connery Lundin, and Amie Engerbreston among others.
Weak Layers is produced by Ladd, and Jared Drake of Realization Films, executive produced by Mark Gogolewski and Noah Lang, and co-produced by Colleen Gentemann and Steven Siig. Arentz negotiated the acquisition on behalf of Greenwich Entertainment.
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