Porter+Craig sets Pride weekend theatrical release for 'Sugar Beach'

'Sugar Beach,' an award-winning queer coming-of-age drama from director Noely Mendoza, opens in select theaters June 26, timed to Pride weekend. The film’s festival run, ensemble cast and unconventional high school throuple storyline position it as a theatrical bet on independent LGBTQ storytelling.

Why it matters: - 'Sugar Beach' is getting a Pride weekend theatrical launch, giving an award-winning queer indie film a wider audience after a strong festival run. - The release adds momentum to Porter+Craig Film & Media Distribution’s push for independent voices, with a film centered on grief, identity and nontraditional love. - The film is one of the rarer American independent features to place a high school throuple at the center of the story, making it notable within LGBTQ coming-of-age storytelling.

What happened: - Porter+Craig Film & Media Distribution set 'Sugar Beach' for a June 26 opening in select theaters. - The rollout lands on Pride weekend, with opening-weekend Q&A screenings planned with the director and cast in Los Angeles. - Noely Mendoza directed the film, and Zoe Manzotti wrote the screenplay and stars in the lead role. - The film is the first installment of a planned 'Sugar Beach Trilogy.'

The details: - 'Sugar Beach' follows Rosalyn Roman, a valedictorian and soccer star coping with the death of her brother in a surfing accident. - Rosalyn turns to alcohol and to two people who become her emotional refuge, forcing her to confront grief, identity and love outside conventional structures. - The story is set along the California coastline and focuses on queerness, chosen family, first love and survival. - The cast is led by Zoe Manzotti, Emma Blomquist, Ryley Schroeder and Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson. - Johnson’s credits include 'Totally Killer,' 'On My Block' and 'The Rookie.' - Mendoza is an honors Film & Media Studies graduate of Amherst College and worked with Academy Award-winning filmmakers before making a feature debut. - Manzotti, Schroeder and Blomquist spent months preparing for the roles, including rehearsing off-grid in New Mexico, surfing, playing soccer and completing an intensive at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. - The film also includes cameo appearances by Megan Lawless, Oliver Blank and Kio Cyr. - Blank and Cyr are digital creators with platforms reaching more than nine million followers. - Porter+Craig says its catalog includes more than 400 feature films, television movies and documentaries released across theatrical, digital and broadcast platforms worldwide.

Between the lines: - The festival awards suggest the film has already found an audience, which can help an indie title stand out in limited theatrical release. - The Pride timing is strategic, pairing the film’s themes with a window when LGBTQ stories often draw stronger attention. - The Q&A screenings in Los Angeles point to a grassroots theatrical push, where filmmaker presence can help convert festival buzz into ticket sales.

What's next: - 'Sugar Beach' opens June 26 in select theaters. - Los Angeles opening-weekend Q&A screenings will give the director and cast a promotional platform as the rollout begins. - Porter+Craig will likely use the theatrical debut to build awareness for the broader planned trilogy.