David Henrie Makes Directorial Debut With THIS IS THE YEAR

Vertical Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights to David Henrie's directorial debut THIS IS THE YEAR. Executive produced by Selena Gomez, the coming-of-age dramedy takes a contemporary spin on classic 1980s movies, the beloved genre of that era's youth. The film stars Lorenzo James Henrie (Fear the Walking Dead), Vanessa Marano (Switched at Birth), Bug Hall (Little Rascals), Alyssa Jirrels (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Jake Short (A.N.T. Farm), with Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Gregg Sulkin (Runaways).

The film was produced by BOLD Entertainment and Novo Media Group. Vertical is planning a theatrical and video-on-demand release on September 24, 2021. MarVista Entertainment is handling international distribution for the film. The domestic deal was negotiated by Peter Jarowey and Josh Spector of Vertical Entertainment and Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers.

In a last-ditch effort to win over the girl of his dreams, a nerdy high school senior (Lorenzo Henrie) and his best friends embark on a road trip to see their favorite band at the biggest music festival of the year, only to discover true love in the most unexpected place.

"It's exciting for us to finally partner with Vertical Entertainment and MarVista Entertainment for the worldwide release of our film THIS IS THE YEAR. The team at Endeavor Content put a lot of work into getting these deals done which we appreciate," stated Denis J. Gallagher, Chairman of BOLD Entertainment. "David Henrie did a great job with his directorial debut and Selena's input on the film was very helpful. We are looking forward to seeing it hit the big screens this fall. I think everyone is ready for a feel-good film for the whole family."

THIS IS THE YEAR was directed by David Henrie; written by Sienna Aquilini, David Henrie, Pepe Portillo, and Bug Hall; produced by James Henrie and Leo Severino; executive produced by Selena Gomez, Denis Gallagher, Chris Mullinax, Richard Salvatore, and David E. Ornston; cinematography from Nathanael Vorce; edited by Pepe Portillo; production design by Alexis Johnson; costume design by Skye Stewart-Short; and music by Ben Zecker.