Iliza Shlesinger wrote and stars in “Chasing Summer,” an upcoming romantic dramedy directed by award-winning filmmaker Josephine Decker. The filmmakers say the picture will provide a “contemporary take on the millennial-coming-of-age” tale, but will tell the story through a distinctly female lens.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble that includes Megan Mullally (“Will and Grace”), Garrett Wareing (“The Long Walk”), Lola Tung (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), Tom Welling (“Smallville”), Aimee Garcia (“Dexter”), Cassidy Freeman (“The Righteous Gemstones”) and Jeff Perry (“Scandal”).
Shlesinger is an actor, writer and stand-up comic whose on-screen credits include “Good on Paper” (which she also wrote), “Spenser Confidential,” “Pieces of a Woman,” “The Righteous Gemstones” and “Instant Family.” Her seventh special, “Iliza Shlesinger: A Different Animal,” is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. She is the author of “All Things Aside: Absolutely Correct Opinions” and “Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity.” Shlesinger hosts the podcast “AIA: Ask Iliza Anything.”
Decker is best known for her Berlinale and Sundance-selected features “Madeleine’s Madeleine” and “Shirley,” the latter of which won her a Special Jury Award for Auteur Filmmaking at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
In “Chasing Summer,” Shlesinger stars as Jamie, who, after losing both her job and boyfriend, retreats to her small Texas hometown where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down. The film was shot this past summer, but never announced.
“This movie is for anyone who’s ever gotten in their own way — it’s a love letter to my generation, my home state, and (Millennial) nostalgia,” said Shlesinger. “Every day of production I was floored by the caliber of cast and crew involved, and I’m so proud of what we created. I’ll carry it with me forever.”
“It’s been really exciting to work on a project where fun leads,” said Decker. “Our production was an incredible joy — with a stellar cast and crew — and our story explores a kaleidoscopic misunderstanding about a place, its people, and our main character’s past.”
“The alchemy of Iliza’s emotionally resonant story and powerful performance combined with Josephine’s poetic filmmaking is unique,” said producers Rob Guillermo, Nihaar Sinha, Ray Maiello and Sam Pressman. “As producers, we are grateful to champion these remarkable filmmakers and this extraordinary cast as they redefine the boundaries of the genre.”
Shlesinger is represented by UTA, Avalon Management, 2pm Sharp and Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver and Thompson. Decker is repped by CAA, Gary Ungar (Exile), Meghan Oliver and Gang Tyre.
Mullally is repped by UTA. Wareing is repped by WME and 23 Management Group. Tung is repped by CAA and GSA Entertainment. Welling is repped by Innovative Artists and Art International Group. Garcia is repped by Paradigm Talent Agency and Atlas Artists. Freeman is repped by the Kohner Agency and Robyn Bluestone Management. Perry is repped by Innovative Artists and Principal Entertainment LA.
“Chasing Summer” was shot by Eric Branco and is also produced by Shlesinger, Houston King, Paula Paizes and Kara Baker. Executive producers are Decker, Louis Krubich, Dan Fried, Christopher Schwarzenegger, Bianca Rusu, Jack Masterson, Andre Eanes and Rhodes McKee.
