Michael Glover Smith’s ‘Relative’ Returns to the Music Box Ahead of Digital Premiere

Michael Glover Smith’s fourth feature film, the critically acclaimed RELATIVE, will return to the Music Box Theatre in Chicago for an encore screening on Wednesday, May 15, ahead of its digital premiere via Music Box Films on Tuesday, May 21. The family dramedy, which stars Wendy Robie (TWIN PEAKS) and Steppenwolf Ensemble legend Francis Guinan as progressive activists David and Karen Frank, has had over 85 engagements across North America since 2022 at both festivals and in commercial theaters. It won awards at five fests: Best Narrative Feature at the Buffalo International Film Festival and Full Bloom Film Festival, Best Actor at the Midwest Film Festival (for Guinan) and at the Gasparilla International Film Festival (for Cameron Scott Roberts), and Best Ensemble Cast at Festival of Cinema NYC. The film currently holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews.

The Music Box screening will be followed by a Q&A with Smith, Robie, Melissa DuPrey (GREY’S ANATOMY) and Emily Lape (MERCY’S GIRL) moderated by Cinefile Chicago critic Megan Fariello. Smith spoke exclusively to SCREEN about it: “I couldn’t be happier to finish our theatrical run at the Music Box. It’s one of my favorite theaters in the world and it’s where we had our first non-festival screening way back in 2022 so it’ll be a beautiful bookend to our theatrical run. I’m especially happy that Wendy, Melissa and Emily will be doing the Q&A with me. They’re three of my favorite actresses and they’re all very eloquent when talking about their process. It should be a great night.”

Enjoy the Music Box’s newly released official trailer for RELATIVE…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjAUWlutzRk

Tickets to the theatrical screening are available on the Music Box Theatre website. Music Box Films’ initial digital rollout will include releasing the film on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango at Home/Vudu, Google Play and YouTube for rent and purchase. Links to pre-order the film through some of these services are already available on the Music Box Films website.

Enjoy this gallery of production stills from the making of RELATIVE, fully filmed in the Chicagoland area…

Smith shared with SCREEN, “Music Box Films is one of my favorite distributors. It’s a dream come true to be ‘label mates’ with Raul Ruiz, Werner Herzog and so many other directors I admire. The Music Box team really seems to understand the film and I think they are the ideal partners to help bring it to the widest possible audience through this digital release. And now that RELATIVE has reached the final phase of its exhibition life via streaming, it’s also time for me to go and make another movie.”

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