Ariztical Entertainment Sets Official US Release Schedule For MYSTERIOUS WAYS

Known for the "Eating Out" series, Ariztical Entertainment has set a digital and DVD release day of April 30, 2024 for the wholesome gay love story with all-star cast Richard Short (The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Nick Afoa (The Lion King).

Ariztical Entertainment has set a multiplatform release for New Zealand's wholesome gay love story Mysterious Ways, written and directed by Kiwi Paul Oremland for April 30, 2024. The LGBTQIA film will be available on numerous TVOD platforms including iTunes, VUDU and Google Play, as well as Ariztical's digital platforms and DVD.

The film follows a media storm that threatens the marriage between a Vicar (Short) and his Samoan boyfriend (Afoa) after they announce their intentions to have a traditional wedding in the church. 

Watch the trailer below!

The team at Ariztical built their 2024 slate around the elevated LGBTQIA title with the intent of bringing Mysterious Ways to a mainstream audience which includes a limited theatrical run at Laemmle's theaters in Los Angeles.

The film was produced in New Zealand by Ngaire Fuata. It debuted in New Zealand via a limited critically acclaimed theatrical run and caught the attention of veteran distributors Michael Jack Shoel and Dre Sleipnes of Ariztical in the US who acquired the domestic rights to the film after AFM in 2023.

Executive producers include Taualeo'o Stephen Stehlin, Brian Holland, Tracey Gardiner, Tom Abell, Jonathan Unger and Richard Short.

The film also marks one of the first on-screen representations of what's known in the Samoan community as a faʻafafine in the role of Billy, played by relative newcomer Joe Malu Folau. An integral part of Samoan culture, faʻafafine are assigned male at birth, and explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits in a way unique to Polynesia.