Message Pictures, the purpose-driven production company behind the Netflix hit “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water,” has signed for representation with Verve.
Founded in 2022, the shop will send their acclaimed Sundance project “The Perfect Neighbor” to limited theaters this month for awards consideration. Message hails from acclaimed filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir, Oscar-nominated director Sam Pollard and creative producer Alisa Payne. The company’s mission is to center storytelling from and about BIPOC and underrepresented communities.
“At Message Pictures, our mission is to work with representatives who understand the substantive change that we are trying to create in our industry. We believe Verve shares our vision of the industry’s future, and will be excellent partners in expanding Messages Pictures prospects while keeping equity, equality and inclusion at the forefront of all our ventures,” the founders said.
Their flagship series “Katrina” commemorated the 20th anniversary of the titular hurricane and its devastating impact on New Orleans. That premiered August 27 and features episodes directed by Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles, and Spike Lee, with Payne serving as showrunner and producer. Lee, Pollard, and Gandbhir were executive producers.
“The Perfect Neighbor” nabbed a jury prize in Sundance this year, for Gandbhir’s directing. The film, in theaters October 10 and streaming October 17, examines how a seemingly minor neighborhood dispute in Florida spiraled into deadly violence, with police bodycam footage and interviews exploring the broader impact of Stand Your Ground laws.
Message has also collaborated on the HBO doc “The Devil is Busy,” a look at the shifting realities of reproductive healthcare in America following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
