about
synopsis
When newcomer Alexis joins a Manhattan therapy group and reveals he wants to write a TV series based on their sessions, it threatens the group’s balance and exposes everyone’s vulnerabilities.
an original method
Freely inspired by The Schopenhauer Cure by Irvin D. Yalom, GROUP – The Schopenhauer Project blends scripted and improvised elements to dynamically explore group therapy as it truly happens. Filmed in real time, sessions were shot in uninterrupted 90-mn takes - the duration of a group session - with improvised dialogue based on scripted outlines.
A real psychoanalyst and eight actors: Dr. Elliot Zeisel, a real New York group analyst, led the sessions as he would in his actual practice. His presence blurs the line between performance and reality, creating live tension where fiction feeds reality and reality feeds fiction.
cast
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Thomas Sadoski is an American actor, nominated for a Tony Award and winner of the Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards. He has distinguished himself on television (The Newsroom, Life in Pieces) and in film (John Wick, Wild, Devotion). He is actively involved with INARA, War Child USA, and Refugees International.
Lucy Walters is an American-British actress best known for her role as Holly Weaver in Power. She has had recurring roles in Get Shorty, Jett, and Z: The Beginning of Everything. Her major film credits include Shame, Here Alone, Tesla, False Positive, and House of Darkness.
Bernardo Cubría is an actor and screenwriter, winner of the LADCC Award for Crabs in a Bucket. He has written for the Apple TV+ series Acapulco and was selected for the 2023 Sundance Lab for Kill Yr Idols. He also directed Am I Roxie? at the Geffen Playhouse.
Teresa Avia Lim is a stage and screen actress whose recent theater work includes The Devil’s Disciple, Galilee, 34, and Eureka Day. On television, she has appeared in Bupkis, The Woods Are Real, Blue Bloods, Ray Donovan, The Code, Limitless, and Unforgettable.
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Ezra Barnes is a New York–based actor and director who has appeared in Jessica Jones, The Sinner, Motherless Brooklyn, and Noah. The founder of Shakespeare on the Sound, he received the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for his direction of The Diary of Anne Frank.
Cara Ronzetti is a New York–based actress, writer, and director. Trained at Carnegie Mellon, LAMDA, RADA, and Drama Centre London, she has appeared in The First, New Amsterdam, Daniel Isn’t Real, Superior, and the award-winning film The Reunion (Sundance).
Elisha Lawson is an actor and choreographer. His television credits include Blue Bloods, Shades of Blue, NCIS: New Orleans, The Get Down, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Fight, FBI, and The Red List. He also appeared Off-Broadway in Syncing Ink at The Public Theater.
Gabriela Kohen is an actress, drama therapist, and psychoanalyst. She is best known for her solo show Decoding the Tablecloth.
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Dr Ezra Hertzfeld
Dr Elliot Zeisel
Dr. Zeisel is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA), co-founder of the Center for Group Studies in New York, and former Vice Chairman of the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health.
creative team
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Alexis Lloyd - Writer-Director-Editor
Born in Paris, he is a writer, director and producer. During his years as a studio executive, Lloyd supervised the production and distribution of over 90 features, including several award-winning films. His producing credits include An Ideal Husband by Oliver Parker, Topsy-Turvy by Mike Leigh, Ratcatcher by Lynne Ramsay, Love’s Labours Lost by Kenneth Brannagh and The Claim by Michael Winterbottom. Lloyd wrote and directed 3 films, including the feature film 30 Beats (Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate). He wrote and directed the web series GROUP (2021), available on YouTube and AllArts (PBS), which has reached over 700,000 views. Lloyd is a member of BAFTA, of the Académie des César and of the Actors Studio in New York.
Luke Geissbuhler - Cinematographer
An Oscar-nominated cinematographer, he has shot more than 25 feature films and 20 documentaries, including Borat, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Buck, Helvetica, and Match. He collaborates regularly with HBO, Netflix, Amazon, and filmmakers such as Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Moore, Adam McKay, and Kathryn Bigelow.
Leslie Shatz - Sound Designer
An Oscar and three-time Emmy-nominated sound editor and sound mixer, he has worked on 12 Years a Slave, Beginners, Milk, I’m Not There, Ghost, Dracula, First Cow, Dark Waters, Zola, Worth, and The Velvet Underground. His television credits include Making a Murderer, Mildred Pierce, Game Change, Transparent, and Mozart in the Jungle.
production
PHIPHEN, founded by award-winning producer Molly Conners, is an independent film and television production company that champions bold creative voices. Its projects include Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman (Oscar for Best Picture), Lauren Miller Rogen’s Like Father, It’s Bruno (Emmy-nominated, Netflix), Centigrade (IFC), The God Committee (Tribeca 2021 selection), and Butcher’s Crossing starring Nicolas Cage.
HELIX PICTURES is the production company of Alexis Lloyd, former CEO of Pathé UK and executive producer of nine feature films (An Ideal Husband, Topsy-Turvy, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Claim).
producers
Molly Conners
Molly Conners is founder and CEO of Phiphen. A member of the Producers Guild of America and BAFTA. Molly is Emmy-nominated and has produced or executive-produced dozens of feature films over the last 18 years that have earned a total of four Academy Awards and 11 Academy Award nominations. Some of her credits include the 2014 Academy Award-winner Birdman, the 2009 Academy Award-nominated Frozen River, William Friedkin’s Killer Joe, James Gray’s The Immigrant, JOE, starring Nicolas Cage, and Warren Beatty’s Rules Don't Apply.
Ronald Guttman
An actor and producer, his film credits include Sister of the Groom, On the Basis of Sex, August Rush, 27 Dresses, Avalon, The Hunt for Red October, Green Card, and Danton. On television, he has appeared in Mildred Pierce, Black Earth Rising, Preacher, Baskets, Mad Men, Homeland, Mozart in the Jungle, The Blacklist, and Godfather of Harlem. Theatre: Broadway/West End London in Patriots by Peter Morgan. As a producer, his work includes What Breaks the Ice, The Toll Booth, Tickling Leo, New York Street Games, and 30 Beats.
Jack Lechner
Chair of the Film Program at Columbia University, he previously worked as an executive at Film Four and Miramax on films including The Crying Game, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, and The Cider House Rules. He was an executive producer on The Fog of War (Oscar for Best Documentary), Blue Valentine, Bite Me, Left of the Dial (HBO), and The New Yorker Presents (Amazon).
Doug Schwalbe
Founder and President of The Co-Production Company, a boutique production company specializing in international finance and distribution. Current series in production include Home Sweet Rome! for HBO Max, BBC, and RAI, and Iyanu for HBO Max, ITVX, and Showmax in Africa. Past productions include Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie, and Postman Pat for DreamWorks Animation, as well as the documentary Halston for CNN Films. Over his career, he has created international co-production structures for HBO, 20th Century Fox, and DreamWorks.
Alex Spatt
Producer responsible for production and development for Phiphen. Recent work includes Bunnylovr (Sundance ’25), Lionsgate’s Wish You Were Here, Greenwich’s Coup! (Venice ’23), Saban’s Butcher's Crossing (TIFF ’22), and Gunpowder & Sky’s doc Everybody's Everything (SXSW ’19), now streaming on Netflix.
Dr Elliot Zeisel
Psychoanalyst of 50+ years, Distinguished Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA), co- founder of the Center for Group Studies in New York, and former Vice President of the Group Foundation for Advancing Mental Health.
donate
fiscal sponsorship
GROUP - The Schopenhauer Project was selected by The Film Collaborative (TFC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to be a sponsored project, which means the film can receive tax-deductible donations through TFC, to the extent allowed by law. TFC’s nonprofit federal tax ID number is 32-0295081.
the need for support
Independent films like GROUP face unique challenges in gaining visibility and reaching audiences. Your support will help us navigate these challenges and have a lasting impact.
Contribute through The Film Collaborative:
Goals for fundraising - the funds will be allocated as follows:
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Publicity: 30% for promotional materials, hiring a publicist, and creating social media campaigns.
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Marketing: 40% for targeted advertising and outreach efforts to engage audiences.
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Distribution: 30% for securing distribution in select theaters and accessing streaming platforms.
