The Story

After their mother’s death, two estranged brothers Blaze and Dan reunite at a childhood haunt. When Dan’s reluctance to be vulnerable exposes an existential hole for them both, the brothers catapult into a frightening confrontation.

History

In 2010, Danny Rocco penned a fearless short play called What the Sparrow Said for actors Blaze Mancillas and Matt Hurley and director Shannon Fillion in their “Collaboration Class” at Columbia University under the instruction of Anne Bogart. Bursting with raw emotion and wrestling with grief, the story was so potent that our production traveled from Columbia University to Off-Off Broadway festivals to Sibiu, Romania! But ultimately Sparrow’s story was bigger than theater.

In 2012, Anson Mount fell in love with the show during one of its runs at NYC’s acclaimed Dixon Place. He challenged us to consider what a film adaptation would mean and enthusiastically jumped on board as our Executive Producer. Then Danny and Shannon stepped up into Producer roles and joined forces with the industrious producer Justin Brock Schantz. Together, Team Sparrow raised the funds for the film with 653 backers on Indiegogo.

In 2017, Anson brought on the brilliant director Tim Guinee who launched us into production in 2018 in upstate New York. In 2019, we reconvened for some pick up shots and then spent the next two years juggling post-production and the challenges of Covid.

NOW, at long last, we’re ready to bring What the Sparrow Said to a larger audience - you!

A Note from the Playwright

What the Sparrow Said is a story about two brothers who meet up after several years apart. Time has diverged them and made them into two wholly different adults. As they share a meal, a deep question gets asked, one that unites them in shared trepidation: is there a God? The boys wrestle with this fundamental argument, made more primal by the loss of their mother and their own resentments for each other. We see how they deal with grief, life. and the unanswered...with some big surprises along the way.

This question — "is there a God?"— runs through all of my work. I don’t know if these characters have an answer. I certainly don’t know where I stand or land today…But I think the last moment of the film is how I get to sleep at night: that if we are totally alone (which we are...), someone, here, please, show me love.