American Film Market Dailies

• View
• Edit

Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment and producers Anne Clements (Stage Mother, Quinceañera), and Ash Christian (After Everything, Burn) are pleased to announce the lead cast and AFM (American Film Market) market premiere of As Sick As They Made Us. The new comedy-drama features a multiple-award winning cast that includes two-time Academy Award-winner, Dustin Hoffman, Academy Award nominee and five-time Emmy Award winner,  Candice Bergen,  Simon Helberg and Olivia Thirlby. 

AS SICK AS THEY MADE US is written and directed by multiple award-winner and nominee Mayim Bialik a two-time winner of the Critic’s Choice Television Award for best supporting actress for The Big Bang Theory, that has also won The People’s Choice Award for Best Comedy 3 times, a 4-time Emmy-nominee and a 3-time SAG award-nominee.

Hoffman is a two-time Academy Award winner and seven-time nominee. He is well known for his film roles in The Graduate, Tootsie, Lenny, Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs. Kramer, Wag The Dog, Rain Man, and most recently, Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) opposite Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Candice Bergen. Hoffman is currently starring in Donato Carrisi's Into the Labyrinth opposite Tony Servillo. Bergen is known for her starring role in the hit series Murphy Brown for which she won 5 Emmy Awards, and her Oscar nominated performance in Starting Over to the more recent hit Book Club, and the upcoming Let Them All Talk directed by Steven Soderbergh and co-starring Meryl Streep and Diane Weist.  Helberg - who starred opposite Bialik on The Big Bang Theory - has impressive credits in features including his Golden Globe nominated performance in Florence Foster Jenkins opposite Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant for director Stephen Frears. He is currently filming a starring role in Leos Carax’s highly anticipated musical Annette with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Thirlby quickly gained momentum on screen after her performances in films such as Juno, United 93, The Wackness, and New York I Love You. Her other credits include Dredd 3D, The Wedding Ringer, and The Stanford Prison Experiment to name a few. Thirlby will next be seen in the revival of the Showtime series, The L Word: Generation Q set to air this December.

As Sick as They Made Us  is about a successful divorced mother of two who rekindles love in her life amidst the crazy antics of her dysfunctional family. Now she attempts to convince the stubborn, and comically unfortunate family members to hold it together while they embrace one final farewell.  

The film marks Mayim Bialik’s screenwriting and directorial debut. In addition to playing the beloved title character on Blossom, she also starred as Amy in the longest running multi-camera series on television, The Big Bang Theory. The show premiered on CBS in September of 2007 and concluded in May of 2019, having broadcast a total of 279 episodes over 12 seasons. The show is syndicated in approximately 100 countries around the world to date.

“We can’t wait to see this stellar cast bring such lovable and interesting characters to life. It’s evident that these amazing actors share our love of the materials and we are thrilled to see Mayim’s vision become a reality.”  Said Epstein.

“It is an incredible honor and a writer and director’s dream come true to work with actors I’ve respected and adored my entire life. I cannot wait to see what we can create together! “ Said Bialik.

Most recently, her production company, Sad Clown Productions, inked a multi-year deal with WBTV including a talent-holding provision for her acting services. A multifaceted artist and entrepreneur, Bialik, who also holds a PhD in Neuroscience from UCLA,  has published 4 books, two of which were NY Times bestsellers focusing on the neuroscience and psychology of puberty.

Producers include Anne Clements and Ash Christian. Clay Epstein/Film Mode Entertainment will serve as executive producer.

Hoffman is represented by WME and Tavistock Wood Management.

Bergen is represented by ICM Partners.

Helberg is represented by UTA, MGMT Entertainment, and Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher.

Thirlby is represented by ICM Partners, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren & Richman LLP.

Bialik is represented by Tiffany Kuzon at Mosaic, Shep Rosenman at Katz Golden Rosenman LLC, and WME.

Film Mode Entertainment is representing worldwide rights on the film.

About Film Mode Entertainment

Film Mode Entertainment is a leading worldwide sales agent, production entity and distribution company, focusing on commercially driven feature films of all genres and budget sizes. Film Mode represents projects at all stages of the filmmaking process, often as Executive Producer, with the aim of helping producers and distributors achieve maximum exposure for their films. Film Mode’s recent titles include CRYPTO starring Kurt Russell, Luke Hemsworth and Alexis Bledel, BAILEY AND DARLA starring Brittany Snow, Sam Richardson and Vivica A. Fox, STAGE MOTHER starring Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver, Lucy Liu and Adrian Grenier, BURN starring Josh Hutcherson and Suki Waterhouse, and RABID, a reimagining of David Cronenberg’s 1977 Cult Horror Classic, directed by the Soska Sisters. Previous releases include SUGAR MOUNTAIN starring Jason Momoa, and THE GOOD NEIGHBOR starring Academy Award nominee James Caan. Film Mode accelerated their growth and expanded their capabilities by entering into a partnership with SCREEN MEDIA, representing their catalogue of over 600 titles, including WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance, and MONSTER, starring Charlize Theron who won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress for the film. The company also has its own distribution arm, as well as a documentary label, DocMode. Film Mode is based in Beverly Hills, CA.