Andre Hyland's THE 4TH to Screen at Cleveland International Film Festival

After premiering to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, actor/director Andre Hyland's debut feature-length comedy "The 4th" (HotHouse Productions & bLoNd cHiLi Productions ) will screen at the Cleveland International Film Festival April 1-3. The festival runs March 30-April 10.

The film, which Hyland wrote, directed and stars in, centers around a 4th of July cookout that leads to a series of misadventures for a character named Jamie, played by Hyland. The Hollywood Reporter called it "hilarious" and "relatable to a broad audience of struggling urbanites." Hyland said "The 4th" is based partly on real-life experiences.

"I feel like I have a lot of pathetic little situations every day, so this film is sort of a compilation of some things that have happened to me at one time or another," he said. "They might not seem annoying at the time, but when I revisit them from afar, they're pretty funny." (https://youtu.be/XikB22BIdl8)

"The 4th" also features Johnny Pemberton (21 & 22 Jump Street), Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings, Casual), Matty Cardarople (Jurassic World), John Ennis (Mr. Show) Matt Peters (Orange Is The New Black), Frank Collision, Anna Lee Lawson, Brent Weinbach, Yasmine Kittles, Ohioians Jeff Carpenter and Fred Anderson, and Cleveland native Paul Erling Oyen.

"I met Andre when we were students at the University of Cincinnati," Oyen said. "I had never thought about being an actor, until he started putting me in a few of his projects, and they were fun. In this movie, I'm basically playing a more annoying version of myself."

Since arriving in Hollywood from his hometown of Cincinnati 12 years ago, Hyland has built a reputation for making quirky short films featuring bizarre comedic characters. He has written, directed and produced projects for Fuel TV, Funny or Die and MTV, as well as a handful of pilots for FOX and Comedy Central.

"It's cool to be coming back to Ohio with 'The 4th,' especially since Paul and I are from there," Hyland said. "I'm looking forward to hanging out in Cleveland and hopefully get to see some rain."

"The 4th" will be shown at the Cleveland International Film Festival on April 1, 2 and 3. The festival runs March 30-April 10. For details, visit www.ClevelandFilm.org. For information about Andre Hyland and "The 4th," visit www.The4thMovie.com.

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