News

Exclusive: Angels Studios has set a limited theatrical release on Dec. 25 with January expansion for Brandt Andersen’s feature drama The Strangers’ Case.

The title, which made its world premiere at the 2024 Berlinale, was curated by the studio’s Angel Guild of 1.1M members.

Inspired by Andersen’s Oscar-shortlisted 2020 short film Refugee (2020), The Strangers’ Case unfolds through a Shakespearean lens, drawing its title from a poignant speech in Sir Thomas More defending displaced peoples. Set against the backdrop of the Syrian Civil War, the film follows a pediatric surgeon, Amira (Yasmine Al Massri), and her daughter, whose lives intertwine with five families across four continents in a chain reaction of tragedy, resilience, and hope. The ensemble cast includes Omar Sy, Yahya Mahayni, Ziad Bakri, Constantine Markoulakis, and Jason Beghe.

The Strangers’ Case won the Amnesty International Film Award. Andersen, who wrote and directed the movie, is also a seasoned producer and activist who has worked extensively with refugees in Syria, Jordan, and beyond. The movie features Syrian extras who have faced the Aegean crossing depicted in the story. To date, the film has received over 50 Festival awards.

“Stories that amplify light like The Strangers’ Case are for global mainstream audiences,” said Jared Geesey, Chief Distribution Officer at Angel. “Brandt Andersen’s vision to inspire compassion and understanding resonated with the Angel Guild, and we’re thrilled to bring this masterpiece to our audience.”

“I am honored and grateful to partner with Angel to share The Strangers’ Case with a global audience,” said Andersen in a statement. “I cannot wait for everyone to see the hard work of this amazing cast and crew on the big screen. This film is deeply personal, and I believe its message of shared humanity is more important now than ever.”

The Angel Guild counts a community of over 1.1M members from more than 170 countries who cleared The Strangers’ Case for distribution.

Daphne Alexander is a Cypriot actress whose career is a testament to her versatility, passion, and enduring connection to her roots. Seamlessly transitioning between high-profile productions by BBC, Netflix, and HBO, as well as theater and alternative projects, Daphne continues to evolve as a performer while maintaining a deep appreciation for her Greek heritage.

The Building of a Character: A Never-Ending Process

Upon meeting Daphne Alexander, one is immediately struck by the rare combination of talent, natural beauty, and an inner calmness that defines her presence. She embodies grace and authenticity, making meaningful connections with those around her both on and off the screen.

Her recent work in Minore, a dark action comedy that diverges from conventional narratives, brought her back to Thessaloniki for the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The film, directed by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas, blends traditional Greek music with the otherworldly, resulting in a unique and “insane” experience that Daphne embraced with enthusiasm.

The international scope and grueling human cost of the global refugee crisis lends itself to contemporary epic filmmaking of a particularly sober stripe, as seen mostly recently in Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border” and Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated “Io Capitano.” Shorn of their ripped-from-the-headlines urgency, such stories of humans crossing vast distances and facing hostile odds in pursuit of a better life are as old as time itself. A muscular, assured debut feature from U.S. producer-turned-director Brandt Andersen, “The Strangers’ Case” stresses the sprawling scale of the situation with a chaptered structure that pivots between multiple involved parties in the refugee’s journey, from warmongers to traffickers to rescuers to the displaced victims themselves.

That wide span, however, prevents a particularly penetrating look at any individual experience of the crisis. Brandt draws his characters in broad, flat strokes that serve the architecture of the narrative — and its cumulative, practically...

The line between art and activism is blurred — often to a fault — in The Strangers’ Case, a visceral migrant drama that plays less as a movie with a message than as a message with a movie.

Written and directed by Brandt Andersen, an executive producer (American Made, Everest), former NBA G League franchise owner and international activist, the film follows several characters whose lives are upended by the Syrian Civil War, switching points of view as it moves from the grim battlegrounds of Aleppo to the gates of Europe.

It can be an intense experience to sit through, and Andersen doesn’t hold back on the gruesome violence and nonstop tragedy many migrants suffered during the conflict — and continue to suffer to this day. But that doesn’t always make for great drama, nor for characters who go deep enough, resulting in a well-meaning film that feels half like a globetrotting Hollywood thriller,...

UK sales outfit Mister Smith Entertainment has boarded international sales on The Strangers’ Case, with WME Independent overseeing North American sales, ahead of its world premiere as a Berlinale Special Gala.

Yasmine Al Massri, Yahya Mahayni, Omar Sy, Ziad Bakri, Constantine Markoulakis and Jason Beghe star in the feature directorial debut of veteran US producer Brandt Andersen, whose credits include Everest, Lone Survivor and Broken City.

Tragedy strikes a Syrian family in Aleppo, starting a chain reaction of events involving five different families in four different countries. The drama interweaves personal stories to illuminate the bravery and heartbreak of the refugee experience.