FAQ + Important Dates
FAQ
Where does the film take place?
The film was shot on location in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. Highly featured areas include Mendocino County (CA) and the San Juan Islands (WA).
How does the film balance fiction with documentary?
While the film’s title character is fictional, many of the supporting characters are brought to life by non-actors playing true versions of themselves. This includes individuals that we met along the road who agreed to be in the film without prior knowledge of our project. Stylistically, the film is seen through the lens of a documentary camera person whose presence, while silent and anonymous, is regularly acknowledged by the film’s subjects.
Does this film have any institutional backing?
This film was supported by the SFFILM FilmHouse residency program, where director Daniel Freeman was a fellow in 2019 & 2020. Then, in 2026, NoBudge agreed to distribute the film and help it find a new audience! We thank them for remembering us during the COVID virtual run, and believing in the film enough to make sure it found a home all these years later.
What was the film’s production budget?
The film was produced with a modest $10,000 production budget, which was made possible due to many generous in-kind donations for equipment, locations, and post-production services.
When was the film completed?
The film was shot in July and August of 2019. Post Production and editing was completed in June 2020.
Why was the film released more than 5 years after being made?
Life is beauitful, awful, long, short, simple, and odd! We were honored to have made our film back in 2019/2020 and we scrapped our way into some lovely film festivals above our respective weight class, but like many others, COVID was a doozy.
It was hard to harness momentum from the virtual fest circuit and we didn’t have any cash or experience or gusto during the pandemic to break through the noise.
But we were still happy and grateful to have made our film. And we connected with so many friends, viewers, and eventual collaborators that helped us continue on a path towards more stories and life!
Then, right when we had almost let Teddy, Out of Tune go from our hopeful hearts, we got the oppurtunity to share it again. It’s funny how things work out on the winding road of life. We’re glad to fill up the tank again and see what we missed on our first journey!
TIMELINE
2026!!!!!!
Teddy, Out of Tune… after years of dormancy, is brought back from the ashes by the kind folks at NoBudge.
NoBudge will be releasing our film via special edition Blu-Ray, which includes a 32 page zine of photos and essays, 4 additional short films, and more special video features!
To commemorate the physical release, we will be organizing screenings in NYC, LA, SF, and more cities around the country. Teddy, Out of Tune goes on tour in 2026!
The Blu-Ray comes with a special edition treasure hunt post-credits scene. There are clues that lead to real life cash prizes located in 5 different states!
After showing our film around the country and promoting our physical release, we will look to find a streaming home! Stay tuned as we embrace this road ahead, which we are very grateful to be exploring after several years of not thinking it was possible.
2021
Teddy wins the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Features at Gasaparilla International Film Festival
2020
Teddy, Out of Tune is selected to World Premiere at the 2020 Maryland Film Festival (June)
Teddy is selected to the Mill Valley Film Festival in California.
Teddy wins the Programmers’ Choice Award at Bushwick Film Festival.
2019
Teddy, Out of Tune wraps production after a 3-week shooting schedule. (August)
The film raises more than $8k through Kickstarter to secure final funds for production. (July)
Teddy, Out of Tune is selected as a finalist for the prestigious Rainin Foundation Screenwriting grant. (May)
Daniel and Drew begin writing, conducting camera tests, and scouting for locations throughout the state of California (January)
2018
Director Daniel Freeman is accepted to the SFFILM FilmHouse residency program as part of the 2019 cohort.
Freeman and Connick produce their first collaboration with the short film Still Moves, which went on to win awards at the Portland Unknown and Austin Arthouse Film Festivals.
Freeman and Connick meet while working as production assistants at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. They later worked as truck drivers for the 2018 Telluride Film Festival, which is where they first conceived the idea for Teddy, Out of Tune.
