Description:

For Deon “Sonnie” Casey, life has not gone according to plan. Raised by his grandmother after the death of his parents, Deon is now a single parent himself, working over 60 hours a week. Despite setbacks, Deon is determined to provide a better life for his son. Finding strength and solace in competitive weightlifting and his work at the YMCA, Deon pushes onward in hope that things will get better. Sonnie is an intimate, verite documentary short that illuminates determination, redemption, and fatherhood.

Biography:

Samuel Mirpoorian is an award-winning filmmaker based in the Midwest. In 2015, he produced a feature documentary on homelessness that screened with President Obama's staff from the Department of Justice + HUD. Two years later, his first doc-short, Little Warriors, screened on PBS and played in festivals across the country; winning the Grand Prize: Indiana Spotlight Film Award from the Academy- ward qualifying, Heartland Film Festival. In 2018, Sam edited and produced the doc-short, Destination Park. The film premiered at Robert De Niro's, Tribeca Film Festival in New York and made its online premiere via The Atlantic. In 2020, he finished his second doc-short, Sonnie. The film is waiting to hear from festivals in hopes of landing a world premiere. Sam just wrapped production with his debut feature documentary, Greener Pastures. The film has been supported by Emmy Award-winning executive producers, David & Linda Cornfield, the Catapult Film Fund, Doc Society, + Exposure Labs.