“Built around two strong central performances, Bryan Poyser’s well-observed feature captures emotional insights...”
The Hollywood Reporter
"Constantly surprising… Kafka and Arnold are both tremendous as the siblings,"
The Moveable Fest
"While we've seen this idea explored before, this is the best version of this narrative since Kenneth Lonergan laid down the template a quarter century ago with You Can Count on Me... it feels like we're watching Arnold and Kafka evolve from day players to movie stars in front of our eyes."
The Movie Waffler
“Bryan Poyser’s earnestly funny comedy, whose levity in the face of life’s most challenging hurdles is bound to make it an audience favorite.”
Geek Vibes Nation (5 Must Watch Films In The 2025 Tribeca Festival U.S. Narrative Competition)
LEADS
Written and directed by Bryan Poyser
Story by Bryan Poyser, Heather Kafka & Justin Arnold
Produced by Taylor Wright
Executive Producers Amado DeHoyos, Cornelia Guest & Ray Seggern
Starring Heather Kafka, Justin Arnold, Macon Blair, Aaliyah Tardio, Wade Smith, Yesenia Garcia Herrington and Sara Paxton
Directed by two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee Bryan Poyser, LEADS is about an acting professor (Heather Kafka, LOVERS OF HATE, THE LEFTOVERS, JOE) who has her comfortable life in her small college town upended when her charming and volatile baby brother (Justin Arnold, SCENES FROM THE SUBURBS, LOVE & AIR SEX) comes knocking at her door. Antsy to start a new chapter in his own life, he joins her acting class, setting off a battle of wills between them for the hearts and minds of her eager students that could bring them all to brink of success or debilitating ruin. Also starring Macon Blair (BLUE RUIN, OPPENHEIMER) and Sara Paxton (AQUAMARINE, THE INNKEEPERS).
2025 Tribeca Festival - World Premiere, US Narrative Competition
Recipient of a 2024 Austin Film Society Grant for post-production.
Donations through the Austin Film Society are tax-deductible!
