Gemma Brooke Allen to Star in “Mixtape” for Netflix

On the eve of Y2k, orphaned, awkward 12-year-old Beverly Moody (Gemma Brooke Allen) discovers a broken mixtape crafted by her teen parents. Raised by her grandmother Gail (Julie Bowen), a former teen mom herself who finds it painful to speak about her late daughter, Beverly sees this mixtape as a chance to finally learn more about her parents. So she sets out on a journey to find all the songs on the tape. Along the way, she makes friends with her quirky neighbor, Ellen (Audrey Hsieh); intimidatingly tough, Nicky (Olga Petsa); and Anti, an anti-everything record store owner who’s the key to finding these tracks, and a renewed bond between Gail and Beverly.

Cast: Gemma Brooke Allen (Kate, Black Pumpkin), Olga Petsa, Audrey Hsieh (Here, Today), Diego Mercado, Nick Thune (The Right One) Jackson Rathbone (The Twilight Saga) and Emmy Award Winner Julie Bowen (Modern Family, Hubie Halloween)

Director: Valerie Weiss (Outer Banks, The Archer)

Writer: Blacklist-winning screenplay by Stacey Menear (The Boy) with revisions by Alice Wu (The Half of It)

Quote from Director, Valerie Weiss: “As a mother of two girls at the precipice of child and adulthood, I felt compelled to direct this story of a 12-year old girl trying to find her identity through music, friendship, and connection with her young grandmother who is raising her. I knew it was a chance to make a timeless film showcasing the world the way I want my own two daughters and their friends to see it. One that reflects the values they need to make it a better place while celebrating kick-ass music, cool 90’s nostalgia while forging their own identities. A movie that teaches them that nothing is irreparably lost if we can find the courage to connect again.”

Mixtape joins Netflix’s growing slate of live-action family films featuring kids and teens, which includes Feel the Beat, directed by Elissa Down (The Honor List) and starring Sofia Carson; WWE’s The Main Event, directed by Jay Karas (Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife) and starring Seth Carr; and 2019 comedy Tall Girl, directed by Nzingha Stewart (Little Fires Everywhere) and starring Ava Michelle. Other upcoming films include Finding Ohana, directed by Jude Weng (Fresh Off the Boat); and A Week Away, directed by Roman White (Summer Forever).

About Valerie Weiss

Award-winning filmmaker and scientist, Valerie Weiss, has directed three feature films and twenty episodes of television including three episodes of Outer Banks (Netflix), an episode of Why Women Kill (CBS All Access), Maryellen: An American Girl Special (Amazon), multiple episodes for Dick Wolf Productions (NBC), Shondaland (ABC), and the mid-season finale of Berlanti’s Prodigal Son (Fox). With a Ph.D. in X-ray Crystallography from Harvard University, Valerie has spent her career both as a scientist and a filmmaker transforming abstract material into compelling visual stories. Her work has been called “daringly light” for the way it embraces controversial topics in an enchanting way and spans the genres of action, thriller, drama, sci-fi, and comedy. RogerEbert.com calls her second feature, A Light Beneath Their Feet, “Emotionally raw and uncommonly observant… By turns endearing, unsettling, and ultimately moving, [it] is a triumph of empathetic filmmaking.” Valerie’s third feature, The Archer, premiered at SXSW in 2017 is a feminist coming-of-age action film best described as Thelma and Louise meets First Blood. Valerie is a member of the Directors Guild of America, an alumnus of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) Program. She participated in the WeForShe DirectHer Program, and the DGA Director Development Initiative. In 2018, Valerie won the top honors in the Fox Filmmaking Lab and was commissioned to direct a short film based on her pitch of a female-centric sequel in the Maze Runner franchise called True Maze. She is a mother of two tween girls. She and her husband, Rob Johnson, live in the View Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. She is repped by CAA, John Bauman Management and Ziffren Brittenham LLP.

About Gil Netter

Recognized for his work on a number of acclaimed films, GIL NETTER (Producer) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated producer, best known for bringing to the screen Life of Pi. Directed by Ang Lee from the screenplay based on Yann Martel’s award-winning novel, the film emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning more than $600 million worldwide and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards(R), including Best Picture. More recently, Netter produced Just Mercy directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, marking the writer/director’s third collaboration with Netter. Netter’s credits also include 2009 box office phenomenon The Blind Side, which was nominated for an Academy Award(R) for Best Picture, The Shack one of the highest-grossing faith-based movies ever made, The Glass Castle, The Sea of Trees, Water for Elephants, Marley and Me, Phone Booth, Flicka, Fever Pitch and A Walk in the Clouds. Previously, Netter served as president of Zucker Brothers Productions, where he oversaw the production of Ghost, a massive commercial success, released summer of 1990 and was nominated for five Academy Award(R)s. Netter also served as executive producer of Oscar(R), Golden Globe(R), and BAFTA-nominated My Best Friend’s Wedding, as well as executive, produced First Knight, My Life, Naked Gun 33 1/3: Final Insult, and Naked Gun 2: The Smell of Fear. Netter’s upcoming slate includes Flora & Ulysses, a Disney+ original movie, and Atlantis, a musical feature inspired by Pharrell Williams’ childhood. Additional projects include The Graveyard Book, for Disney; Catherine the Great, the number one screenplay on 2014’s prestigious Black List, written by Kristina Lauren Anderson; Chris Weitz’s adaptation of The Merlin Saga for Disney based on the book series written by T.A. Barron; and the feature film adaption of Paulo Coelho’s 1988 fantasy novel The Alchemist for Kevin Frakes.