MERMAID RHODE ISLAND PREMIERE W/ STAR JOHNNY PEMBERTON IN-PERSON

JUNE 12

We're proud to present the Rhode Island premiere of South By Southwest Film Festival's buzzy action-comedy-creature-caper Mermaid on Friday, June 12th. Hilarious, grotesque, and heartwarming in turns, Mermaid is a one-of-a-kind new feature from an exciting creative team and we're thrilled to welcome the film's main character, famed actor/comedian Johnny Pemberton! Johnny will be holding a discussion and audience Q&A on stage post-film.

Doug (Johnny Pemberton) is an awkward Florida drug addict. Divorced and alone, he shares custody of his young daughter with his ex. Doug's reeling from losing his job at a local strip club, where he takes care of the fish in the aquarium. Things are beyond bleak - so Doug zips his boat out into the Gulf to end the pain of his reality. But at his lowest point, he discovers an injured Mermaid creature clinging to life. For Doug, it's a sign from the Universe - so he brings her home, gives her shelter in his tub and begins to nurse her back to health. He even names her Destiny. As their rapport blossoms, word of his secret gets out and he is forced to protect his new friend by any means necessary.

Official SXSW Selection. Directed by Tyler Cornack. Produced by Daniel Brandt, Dane Eckerle, and Cole Eckerle. Distributed by Utopia Films.

‘Mermaid’ is a pastel-and-blood-soaked love letter to Florida and all of its idiosyncrasies, from its natural beauty to its drug-addled citizens." -Dread Central

"Imagine “Splash” combined with “Weekend at Bernie’s” and then add projectile vomiting and gory fish-eating." Matt Zoller Seitz for RogerEbert.com

"Mermaid is at once a creature feature, tragic romance, and stoner drama. Ultimately, though, Cornack positions it as a lo-fi spiritual fable about a man’s need to be cared about." -Slant Magazine

"I like to think of MERMAID as my absurdist love letter to Florida. A place that I find beautiful and hideous simultaneously. Unpredictable, yet equally wild and free. Filled to the brim with dumbfounding characters and odd stories that come along with each of them." -director Tyler Cornack