Washington Square Films

WSF Director Joshua Z Weinstein’s “Here I’m Alive” World Premiere at Tribeca 2026

Apr 17, 2026

Joshua Z Weinstein’s latest feature HERE I’M ALIVE has been selected to World Premiere as part of the Tribeca Film Festival in the U.S. Narrative Competition, running from June 3-14!

The feature was helmed by Weinstein, written by Weinstein and Brian Perkins, and produced by Joshua Z Weinstein and Daniel Finkelman. Executive producers include Han West, Josh Blum, and Brian Perkins. The film stars Cheyenne Gallagher, Eddie Torrenegra, Caleb Zuzga, Krystaly Figueroa, and Emira D’Spain. The film follows migrants, sex workers, and dreamers as they navigate the city’s digital underbelly, propelled by a sonic backdrop of underground rap and spiritual jazz. Unflinching and immersive, HERE I’M ALIVE delivers a portrait of modern city life that is both intimate and electrifying.

As a lauded filmmaker, Weinstein’s feature film MENASHE was released by A24, and nominated for a Gotham Award for “Breakthrough Director” as well as an Indie Spirit Award for “Best First Feature.” His previous film projects have shown at Sundance, Berlin, and Camerimage, and he has helmed documentaries including DRIVERS WANTED, FLYING ON ENGINE, and I BEAT MIKE TYSON.

Screening and ticket details HE RE. Tickets on sale April 28th.

Rave Reviews for THE HARDER THEY COME in London!

Sep 29, 2025

The Harder They Come has opened at The Royal Stratford East Theater in London!

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and Olivier award-winning director Matthew Xia, bring to life a new musical adaptation of the 1972 movie, The Harder They Come.

The breakthrough film, produced and directed by Perry Henzell and co-written with Trevor Rhone, follows Ivanhoe Martin, a rural dreamer who arrives in Kingston to become a star. He falls in love and cuts a record, but his rise is blocked by corrupt gatekeepers and a rigged system. Refusing to back down, Ivan fights to assert agency over his own existence, transforming into both outlaw and folk hero. His song becomes an island-wide anthem of resistance and hope.

Featuring Grammy Award-winner Jimmy Cliff’s hits, such as “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “Many Rivers to Cross” and “The Harder They Come.”

“Electrifying…sweet and sandy and catchy as hell” — so says The Guardian in one of the many 5-star reviews accorded to The Harder They Come.

The Guardian goes on to praise director Matthew Xia’s production as a “galvanising spirit of protest, justice and power-to-the-people kinship,” blending comedy and tragedy in a narrative that spans playful, catchy quips and heartfelt drama. “There are only Aces in this deck.”

Broadway World called the musical a “late summer smash,” breathing new life into the cult-classic 1972 film story with gorgeous set pieces and characters, and musical numbers churning “hit after hit” via live band. They go on: “The show moves effortlessly between exultation, longing, defiance, heartbreak. The musical numbers are integral to everything we see: they lift the mood, deepen the impact of the plot points and give interior life to Ivan’s hopes and disillusionment.”

What’sOnStage calls Suzan-Lori Parks’ adaptation compelling, remarking on the focus on Ivan’s emotional journey as the musical’s core tenet. “This tonal shift transforms what was once a gritty crime drama into something altogether more uplifting.” They add: “Matthew Xia’s direction crackles with visceral energy, whilst Shelley Maxwell’s choreography gives everything a natural rhythm that permeates the entire production like a collective heartbeat.”

AllThatDazzles agreed with this sentiment, adding in its own 5-star review: “By their official opening, the team had crafted something so vivid, so extraordinary, and so alive with kinetic energy and clarity of vision, that it was as if I was seeing every scene, hearing every song, for the first time all over again.” Not to be outdone, The Arts Desk likened the ensemble to “West End performances”, praising the cast and Xia’s direction as reaching heights that were “operatic in its scale and power. For once, the adjective spine-tingling is not a reviewer’s metaphorical flourish, but a literal description. I can think of no better a recommendation than that.”

Neither can we.

See The Harder They Come now extended through November 1, 2025, presented by Stratford East in association with Washington Square Films. WSF’s Joshua Blum & Bruce Miller serve as Producers.

Washington Square Films Signs Director Jihye for Commercial Representation

Apr 1, 2025

Washington Square Films has signed director Jihye for commercial representation. With a successful background as a producer and director, Jihye’s directorial work is guided by fun and effective collaboration. She has directed spots for top brands including Ford, Jordan, Bud Light, Toyota, HBO, Equinox and McDonald’s among numerous others. Most recently, she was tapped to direct a piece (“Art from the Start”) for Instagram featuring photographer and digital artist, Natalia Seth, out of creative agency, DEPT.

Click HERE to view her reel.

Notes Washington Square Films EVP of Production, Han West, “Jihye is everything we hope for in a director: she has a breakout voice and visual sensibility that is potent, effective, and no doubt informed by her unique journey. And yet she’s approachable, compassionate, and relentlessly dedicated to her craft. We’re beyond excited to be working with her.”

Jihye’s journey into the film industry is a distinctive one. She spent the first seven years of her life on a farm in the boondocks of South Korea before making her way onto the streets of New York City. Fluent in both Korean and English, she has an innate ability to connect with diverse people and their stories, a skill she attributes to her unique and adaptive upbringing.

In middle school, Jihye broke her mom’s brain by announcing that she wouldn’t be pursuing any of the five careers that had been presumed for her: doctor, lawyer, teacher, pastor, or pastor’s wife. “Instead, I told the both of us that I was going to become a director. Neither of us knew how to actually get there.”

When she started as a production assistant, she supplemented her income with voice-over work and became the Korean voice for legacy landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam. Jihye then cut her teeth as a commercial and interactive producer working with the likes of Lady Gaga and Bud Light while directing her own self-funded stories. This parallel approach combined her proficiency in effectively leading projects and teams with her creative sensibilities and directorial voice.

Jihye brings an intimate human-centered approach to her directing. She has a fierce yet compassionate talent for distilling complex creative to intimate, approachable and emotional films. The intention that she brings to her process is rare in the industry. She adds, “I’m thrilled to make good stories with good people like Han and the team at Washington Square Films. With them, I’m confident we will level up interesting ways to tell stories, both classic and new.”

NYT Highlights the Best Films Since 2000—13 WSF Productions Make the List

Mar 24, 2025

The New York Times spotlights their favorite films since 2000, and we’re excited to see 13 Washington Square Films productions featured among incredible company!

WSF productions include: The Room Next Door (Pedro Almodóvar, 2024), Tommaso (Abel Ferrara, 2019), Golden Exits (Alex Ross Perry, 2017), Queen Of Earth (Alex Ross Perry, 2015), A Most Violent Year (J.C. Chandor, 2014), Listen Up Philip (Alex Ross Perry, 2014), All is Lost (J.C. Chandor), Bluebird (Lance Edmands, 2013), Francine (Melanie Shatzky, Brian M. Cassidy, 2012), Margin Call (J.C. Chandor), And Everything Is Going Fine (Steven Soderbergh, 2010), Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008), and Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006).

Check out the full New York Times list of films here!

Washington Square Films Signs Director Julio Palacio for Commercial Representation

Dec 18, 2024

Washington Square Films has signed award-winning director Julio Palacio for commercial representation. His work has earned accolades at prestigious festivals such as Tribeca, Cleveland, Slamdance, and Atlanta. His client list includes Google, 3M, Daimler Mercedes, MasterCard, and Stanley Black & Decker, among others.

His latest short documentary, Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, was recently acquired by Netflix for distribution on December 11, 2024, and shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards in the Documentary Short Film category. The film also earned Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival and other honors at the Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Slamdance, Cleveland, Cordillera, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta Film Festival; as well as nominations for the Critics Documentary Choice Awards, and Cinema Eye Honors.

Han West, EVP of Production at Washington Square Films, said of Palacio, “He has an outstanding ability to weave emotion, truth, and cinematic beauty into every frame of his work. It’s rare to find a storyteller with such a natural gift for creating powerful, raw connections with an audience.”

Palacio added, “I am honored to join the Washington Square Films family, where our visions for storytelling align on both film and commercial work. I create stories that evoke deep emotion and empathy, and I’m excited to bring that to our projects. Together, I believe we can craft cinematic work that resonates and leaves a lasting impact.”

In his work, Palacio strives to find authenticity in both visuals and performances, a principle he honed through his acting and documentary background. He believes that capturing what’s real at the moment is essential, even in fiction and commercials. Whether it’s the choice of actor, camera movement, or lighting, any element can contribute to a shoot feeling genuine. For Palacio, discovering those real, authentic moments is a hallmark of his directorial approach and makes the creative journey truly special.

Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” Wins Golden Lion at Venice

Sep 11, 2024

Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, wins the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 81st Venice International Film Festival!

This is Almodóvar’s first US production and first English-language feature film and WSF’s Joshua Blum & Han West served as Executive Producers in New York. Washington Square Films served as the NY production company.

The Room Next Door follows the story of a very imperfect mother and a spiteful daughter separated by a serious misunderstanding. Between them, another woman, Ingrid (Julianne Moore), the mother’s friend, is the keeper of their pain and bitterness. Martha, the mother (played by Tilda Swinton), is a war reporter and Ingrid an auto-fictional novelist. The film addresses the endless cruelty of war, the very different ways in which the two female authors approach and write about reality, death, friendship, and sexual pleasure as the best allies in the fight against horror.

The film is scheduled to open theatrically in New York City and Los Angeles on December 20, 2024, followed by a limited release in select US cities on Christmas Day, and a January 2025 wide US release.

Lana Wilson’s “Look Into My Eyes” Now in Theaters

Sep 9, 2024

WSF director Lana Wilson’s documentary Look Into My Eyes is now playing in theaters nationwide (with its theatrical release on Sept. 6,2024) following its world premiere at Sundance! Hailed a New York Times “Critic’s Pick”, Look Into My Eyes is about a group of New York City psychics conducting deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of loneliness & connection, joy & eccentricity, and pain & healing. Check out the trailer to Look Into My Eyes here!

Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” Set to Premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival

Jul 23, 2024

Washington Square Films is thrilled to announce that The Room Next Door, directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, is set to premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival!

We are proud to have been involved in Almodóvar’s first US production and first English-language feature film over the past year and a half, with Joshua Blum and Han West serving as Executive Producers here in New York, and we are truly grateful to our friends and colleagues at El Deseo for the opportunity to support and work with them on this incredible film.

Director Andrew Lane’s “Chip Cam” Takes Home Several Cannes Lions

Jun 28, 2024

WSF director Andrew Lane‘s “Chip Cam” spot for Lay’s from Slap Global (and produced by WSF) takes home several wins at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! “Chip Cam” was awarded 3 Silver Lions, 2 Bronze Lions, and was shortlisted for 18 categories total.

Featuring David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and a live stunt in front of a packed San Siro Stadium with 75,000 fans, this spot was part of PepsiCo’s “No Lay’s, No Game” campaign.

This follows Lane’s 3 Cannes Lions wins for his “States United to Prevent Gun Violence” spot, several Lions for his Diesel “Go With the Fake” spot, and last year’s Bronze Lions for “Thierry Visits”.

We are beyond proud of this one. Congrats to all our partners and of course, Andrew!

Watch the full spot here!

WSF Director Andrew Lane’s “No Walkers, No Game” Spot Airs in the UK

Jun 4, 2024

Directed by WSF director Andrew Lane and produced by Washington Square Films and Girl&Bear, soccer stars David Beckham and Thierry Henry team up once again in Lane’s latest spot for PepsiCo’s “No Walkers, No Game” campaign out of VCCP. Beckham and Henry surprise some lucky fans at their front door in search of Walkers to snack on while watching the game. Watch the full spot here!