Vertical Entertainment Acquires Joey Ally’s Political Comedy ‘The Hater’ – Release Day March 18
Vertical Entertainment Jumps into the Race Acquiring Distribution Rights to Political Comedy The Hater Written, Directed, and Starring Joey Ally
Bruce Dern, Meredith Hagner, Ian Harding, D’Angelo Lacy and Nora Dunn Co-star
Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American and UK/IRE distribution rights to The Hater, a political comedy about a liberal environmentalist who loses her job on a U.S. Senate campaign and returns to her conservative Texas hometown to regroup. Upon learning her childhood nemesis is running for state legislature, she creates an elaborate scheme to go undercover as his opponent on the Republican ticket with the ultimate goal of forcing a Democratic victory. Vertical is planning a day-and-date release on March 18, 2022.
The Hater is written and directed by Joey Ally (Uproot, Are You Still Singing) who co-stars alongside Bruce Dern (Nebraska, The Hateful Eight), Meredith Hagner (Search Party, Palm Springs), D’Angelo Lacy (aka musical artist “Black Gatsby”), Ian Harding (Pretty Little Liars, Ford v Ferrari), Ali Larter (The Last Victim, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter), and Nora Dunn (Together Together, The Lost Husband).
After a political protest goes wrong, Dorothy (Joey Ally), a liberal speechwriter on a U.S. Senate campaign, finds herself unemployed and living back in her conservative Texas hometown with her estranged grandfather (Bruce Dern). Dorothy soon learns that her childhood nemesis, Brent (Ian Harding), is running for office as the sole Republican candidate. Determined to thwart him at any cost, Dorothy creates an elaborate payback scheme with the help of an old frenemy turned campaign manager, Greta (Meredith Hagner): she’ll go undercover to run as his conservative opponent, win the nomination, and then employ a Texas loophole that would force a win for the Democratic candidate. Immersed in the campaign, Dorothy gets closer to victory, only to discover that good vs. evil isn’t necessarily as simple as left vs. right.
After a political protest goes wrong, Dorothy (Joey Ally), a liberal speechwriter on a U.S. Senate campaign, finds herself unemployed and living back in her conservative Texas hometown with her estranged grandfather (Bruce Dern). Dorothy soon learns that her childhood nemesis, Brent (Ian Harding), is running for office as the sole Republican candidate. Determined to thwart him at any cost, Dorothy creates an elaborate payback scheme with the help of an old frenemy turned campaign manager, Greta (Meredith Hagner): she’ll go undercover to run as his conservative opponent, win the nomination, and then employ a Texas loophole that would force a win for the Democratic candidate. Immersed in the campaign, Dorothy gets closer to victory, only to discover that good vs. evil isn’t necessarily as simple as left vs. right. “I’m forever indebted to my cast and the whole HATER family for bringing their tremendous talent, humor, and humanity to this story about a girl who just wants to stop the bullies and save the rainforest,” said writer, director, and lead Joey Ally. “We are thrilled to launch Dorothy’s campaign with Vertical Entertainment, whose endorsement we are honored to receive.”
“Joey is a multi-hyphenate bringing her original story to life with the precise blend of comedy and political ethicality showcasing her talent on screen and behind the camera,” said Peter Jarowey, Partner at Vertical Entertainment. “We look forward to bringing her film, which so clearly embodies her passion for this project, to audiences this spring.”
The film’s producers are Tory Lenosky, Adrienne Childress, Daniel Crown, and Angeline J Sanfilippo. Executive producers are John Boccardo, Derek Esplin, Yoni Liebling, Angeline J Sanfilippo, Anthony M Sanfilippo, Tim O’Shea, Davud Karbassioun, Joey Ally, TJ Williams, Jr., and Thomas Benski. Josie Azzam is the film’s editor, TJ Williams, Jr is director of photography, the music is by Benjamin Jaffe, and production design is by Susannah Honey.
Peter Jarowey and Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical Entertainment, while WME negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers.
About Vertical Entertainment
Founded in 2012, Vertical Entertainment has become a leading global independent distributor releasing films across all mediums. Vertical’s unique combination of full-service marketing and highly effective sales services provides collaborative solutions for filmmakers, as the company leverages creative and platform relationships to maximize revenue streams from all content providers.
