Two significant independent film projects have been selected as part of a cohort for the U.S. in Progress co-production forum at Tauron American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland. The initiative provides a platform for films in final editing stages to gain industry attention and secure additional financing and distribution support.
“Kate Might Die,” directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan, centers on a woman at a pivotal life moment. The protagonist has recently secured her first major role as a production designer, is training for a marathon, and is married to someone in recovery from addiction. Her circumstances transform when she receives a stage two breast cancer diagnosis, forcing her to navigate treatment alongside career ambitions and her husband’s fragile sobriety. Rather than conventional drama, the film employs dark humor and absurdist elements—including surreal sequences with exaggerated visual gags and flash mob scenes—to explore mortality, ambition and marriage. The cast includes Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Ken Jeong and Zosia Mamet.
Director Bryce Morgan describes her approach as deliberately unconventional. According to the filmmaker, the film draws from true events but amplifies them through surrealist storytelling. She rejected a sanitized approach to illness, instead depicting cancer as simultaneously terrifying, awkward, messy, funny, sexual and surreal. The production companies behind the project include Whitewater Films, Balcony 9 and Sweetheart Entertainment.
“Outside of Cleveland,” directed by Colin West, follows Max as he returns to his childhood home when his parents decide to sell it. Upon falling asleep in his childhood bedroom, he awakens as his teenage self in 2009. The film explores themes of regret, nostalgia and the distance between past and present identity. West drew inspiration from his own experience helping his parents relocate, channeling personal reflection into the narrative. The ensemble cast features Alex Wolff, Jim Gaffigan and Sarah Wayne Callies, with production support from Brain Scratch Productions, 1515 Films and Sub_Sequential Pictures.
What the Selection Means for Independent Filmmaking
The U.S. in Progress forum serves an important function within the independent film ecosystem. It connects filmmakers whose projects are nearing completion with international producers, financiers and distributors. The selection process indicates which stories and creative visions resonate with industry gatekeepers evaluating emerging work.
For entertainment followers, these selections reveal how established performers like Awkwafina and ensemble actors like Wolff choose character-driven material that prioritizes artistic vision over commercial formulas. Both projects engage with intimate, personal subject matter—health crisis and family nostalgia respectively—rather than broad action or spectacle. This pattern reflects a persistent appetite among independent filmmakers and actors for stories that explore internal emotional conflict and identity questions.
Additional Selected Projects and Thematic Patterns
The broader cohort selected for the forum addresses interconnected themes.
