ABOUT
In this lyrical coming-of-age film, 12-year-old Michael Murray relishes the carefree joys of early adolescence - girls and friends - until his mom has a black eye and a busted lip. Michael is desperate to know what happened, but his father Brian avoids him, Granny shushes him, and his usually resilient mother can’t get out of bed. While his family weighs the cost of keeping secrets against the price of telling the truth, Michael is determined to fix what happened as he tries to become a man in a world where men cause harm.
TRAILER
FILMMAKERS
WRITER/
DIRECTOR
Tessa Blake is an alumna of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. Her films have premiered at Cannes and SXSW, won awards at Nantucket Film Festival and Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and been honored by the Academy.
As a writer, Tessa has written for ABC, NBC, FOX and Warner Brothers. Currently, she’s developing an international series slated to shoot in Spring 2025 in Germany.
She has directed plays for Naked Angels Theater Company and The Atlantic Theater Company, is a proud alumna of the 24 Hour Plays, and a founding advisor for The Moth.
WRITER/
PRODUCER
Jennifer Manocherian has been a Broadway, off Broadway and London theatre producer since the mid 1980’s with over thirty five credits, including several that won Tony and Drama Desk Awards.
She wrote and produced the film Family Blues (Amazon Prime Video) and wrote the book for two musicals streaming online: Marry Harry and Cockroaches & Cologne. She also co-created a dance musical, In Your Arms, that played at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. She is a proud board member of New York Stage & Film and The Peace Studio.
Erin Mae Miller is a Nashville based film and TV producer and founder of Ignite Studios, which focuses on developing original content - both scripted and documentary film and television - that challenge cultural narratives in a way that promotes conversation and community.
A former executive with Big Indie Pictures and Third Coast Content, Boundary Waters is Ignite Studios' debut feature.
PRODUCER
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CAST
NOTABLE PRESS
PRAISE FOR
BOUNDARY WATERS
“Boundary Waters immerses in its young characters, evoking Boyhood, George Washington, The 400 Blows. The film is in turns suspenseful, tender, and rapturous.”
– Jonathan Lethem, Novelist
“Dazzling new novel … Effectively evokes the carefree joys of adolescence as well as all of its terrors, real and imagined.”
— Andrew Ervin, New York Times
“An extraordinary debut feature from an exquisite filmmaker.”
— Virginia Heffernan, Critic
“Beautifully conceived and highly emotional, Tessa Blake observes the complexities of suburban trauma with sensitivity and grace. ”
— Jason Reitman, Filmmaker
"Unexpected, emotional journey."
— Sara Gore, NBC New York Live
SCREENINGS
Minnesota Film Festival
March 19-23
Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
April 9-16
Be notified about BOUNDARY WATERS
festival screenings!
