The 1996 block party still haunts Julian. Returning to Chicago to clear out the family home, he alienates the tight-knit block his late father once captained, then impulsively agrees to run the annual block party for all the wrong reasons. If he can pull it off he may just get a second chance at first love.
Screenwriter/lead producer Hallie Palladino’s script will be directed by John Mossman (Line Cooks; Good Guy with a Gun; Into the Wake) and shot by Director of Photography Herman Asph. Actor Lawrence Grimm (Eric LaRue; Captive State) is attached to star. The film will be cast by the Emmy award-winning team at Paskal Rudnicke (The Bear).
The producers are: Hiffclanger co-founders Hallie & Rocco Palladino, along with veteran indie producer, Grace Hahn (Princess Cyd; Once Upon A River), and multi-hypenate filmmaker Jennifer Jelsema (Line Cooks; K/O; Nobody F**ing Leaves). Beah Travis (Line Cooks; A Different Sun ) is the 1st Assistant Director.
The Art Department will be led by Production Designer Lola Selby (Line Cooks) and Art Director Ian Machuca in consultation with Nathally Botelho (The Chi; Stranger Things; Loki). The Costume Designer is Cassidy Keen (Pools) and the movie will be edited and colored by the team at Journeywork Entertainment.
The genesis of the project was Palladino’s desire to celebrate the quintessential Chicago summertime ritual. “Our kids’ favorite day of summer is always the block party. It’s a chance to slow down and connect with our neighbors.” Palladino, a playwright, developed the script at The Studio at A Red Orchid Theatre (AROT), a weekly artists’ gathering established by Grimm. When she pitched him the idea of a block party movie he shared that he’s the real life block captain of his own Lakewood-Balmoral block.
Soon after Jennifer Jelsema (another AROT Studio affiliated artist) and John Mossman of Loose Penny Productions joined the project. Mossman calls the film “a testament to the power of memory, real and embellished, and the resilience of the block and of community.”
‘Block Party’ goes into production in late June 2026.
