Director: Samuel Mirpoorian Producers: Samuel Mirpoorian, Ian Robertson Kibbe
Description:
For Deon “Sonnie” Casey, life has not gone according to plan.
Raised by his grandmother after the death of his parents, Deon is now
a single parent himself, working over 60 hours a week. Despite
setbacks, Deon is determined to provide a better life for his son.
Finding strength and solace in competitive weightlifting and his work
at the YMCA, Deon pushes onward in hope that things will get better. Sonnie is an intimate, verite documentary short that
illuminates determination, redemption, and fatherhood.
Biography:
Samuel Mirpoorian is an award-winning filmmaker based in the
Midwest. In 2015, he produced a feature documentary on homelessness
that screened with President Obama's staff from the Department of
Justice + HUD. Two years later, his first doc-short, Little
Warriors, screened on PBS and played in festivals across the
country; winning the Grand Prize: Indiana Spotlight Film Award from
the Academy- ward qualifying, Heartland Film Festival. In 2018, Sam
edited and produced the doc-short, Destination Park. The film
premiered at Robert De Niro's, Tribeca Film Festival in New York and
made its online premiere via The Atlantic. In 2020, he finished his
second doc-short, Sonnie. The film is waiting to hear from
festivals in hopes of landing a world premiere. Sam just wrapped
production with his debut feature documentary, Greener Pastures.
The film has been supported by Emmy Award-winning executive
producers, David & Linda Cornfield, the Catapult Film Fund, Doc
Society, + Exposure Labs.
