Description

This program features a pre-release screening of We Grown Now, followed by a conversation with Producer Joe Pirro.

ABOUT THE FILM
In 1992 Chicago, as best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, their unbreakable bond is challenged when tragedy shakes their community just as they are learning to fly.

ABOUT JOE PIRRO
Joe Pirro (W&M ’08) is currently Head of Production at Symbolic Exchange, a development and production company founded by producer/screenwriter James Schamus and based in New York City. Joe’s most recent film We Grown Now was co-produced by Participant and premiered at Toronto in 2023 where it won the festival’s Changemaker Award. The film was sold to Sony Pictures Classics for a theatrical release in spring 2024 and is currently nominated for Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing at this year's Independent Spirit Awards. His other credits include Andrew Ahn’s Driveways, Kitty Green’s The Assistant, and Jean-Stephane Sauvaire’s A Prayer Before Dawn. Joe began his career teaching elementary school in Brooklyn before moving into the film industry. He has also worked at United Talent Agency, Focus Features, and Red Hour Films.

https://www.ampersandfestival.com/