Vertical Acquires 'Clean Hands' After Tribeca Premiere
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- Vertical acquired North American distribution rights to "Clean Hands" following the film's world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, with the deal negotiated by SVP Tony Piantedosi and Manager Rachel White on Vertical's side and Oliver Wheeler of Range Select on behalf of the filmmakers.
- Jake Allyn wrote and directed the film, which stars Zach Braff as Sergeant Kevin Simmers and Esther McGregor as his 19-year-old daughter Brooke, a heroin addict, exploring the war on drugs in Hagerstown, Maryland — a major stop on the 'Heroin Highway' — through the opposing eyes of a cop and an addict who are also father and daughter.
- Robert De Niro and his daughter Drena De Niro delivered heartfelt closing remarks at the film's Tribeca Q&A because the story hit personally: Robert's grandson and Drena's son, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, died from an overdose at 19 — the same age as the film's Brooke — prompting the family to create the Leandro De Niro Rodriguez Foundation for addiction awareness and recovery.
- Clean Hands was produced in partnership with Brooke's House, the non-profit, all-women recovery home that the real Kevin Simmers created and runs in Hagerstown; the production included an on-set film-jobs training program for women in recovery, cast graduates of Brooke's House, and commits one third of the film's profits back to the organization.
- Abigail Spencer, Holt McCallany, and Lucas Till round out the cast of the film, which was produced by Jake Allyn, Conor Allyn (Margate House Films), Brian Loschiavo (Riverside Entertainment), James Suttles, Jason Winn (WW / SF Entertainment), and JR Rappaport (Glasshouse Pictures), with Braff among the executive producers.
- Allyn called the true story 'one that can actively save lives,' while Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey said the distributor was 'honored to be releasing this film and hope to inspire audiences nationwide.'
Why it matters: This deal gives Vertical a prestige Tribeca title with built-in social-impact infrastructure — the profit-sharing commitment to Brooke's House and the De Niro family's personal advocacy give the release a rare dual hook of critical positioning and addiction-recovery mission. For distributor Vertical, partnering with a film that is simultaneously a true-crime drama and a recovery-home pipeline positions them in the social-issue market that has fueled recent awards traction.
