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Bollywood Mascot: In Brother Orange, BuzzFeed’s Matt Stopera and his unexpected friendship with a Chinese man, Li Hongjun, come together in a heartwarming documentary that transcends cultural boundaries. Directed by Abe Forman-Greenwald, the film revisits an extraordinary story that began with a stolen phone in 2014 and led to an unlikely viral sensation, a deep cross-cultural bond, and personal revelations. This heartfelt documentary is set for a U.S. release in January 2025.

The documentary Brother Orange explores the fascinating and emotional journey between BuzzFeed writer Matt Stopera and Li Hongjun, the man known as “Brother Orange” in China. The story began when Matt’s phone was stolen in a New York City bar, only to later have mysterious photos of Li appear in his iCloud. As their story went viral in China, the two connected, sparking a deep friendship that surpassed language barriers. The bond only grew stronger when Matt visited Li in China,...

"This is a true story. About identity." Gravitas has revealed the official trailer for a documentary film called Brother Orange directed by the filmmaker Abe Forman-Greenwald. This doc is officially Brother Orange: The Movie, a whole film based on the actual story of what happened when a BuzzFeed writer had his phone stolen. Many may remember this, as writer Matt Stopera covered it all extensively in a series of articles published from 2014 to 2015. His stolen iPhone ended up in China where it was rebought by a guy who was taking photos of himself in front of an orange tree. Matt flew over there to meet him, became friends with him ("Brother Orange" aka Li Hongjun) and the rest is history. But there's also so much more to it than that. As their 10-year friendship anniversary nears, this extraordinary true story showcases the power of personal connection between two ordinary people-one...

Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to BuzzFeed Studios’ documentary “Brother Orange.”

The doc follows the story of Matt Stopera, a BuzzFeed founding editor, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his stolen phone becomes the catalyst for a 2015 BuzzFeed article that went viral. The film chronicles how Stopera tracks down ‘Brother Orange,’ a.k.a. Li Hongjun, who’s selfies taken next to orange trees begin appearing on the reporter’s ‘ iCloud feed a year after his phone was stolen.

Hongjun, who lives in China, ended up with Stopera’s stolen phone. The story received over 100 million views on social media, including over 70 million shares on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.

In 2016, Variety reported that Jim Parsons was in talks to star as Stopera in the Warner Bros. narrative adaptation of the “Brother Orange” article, which never came to fruition.

The doc, directed and executive-produced by Abe Forman-Greenwald,...

Lynn Chen’s “I Will Make You Mine” proves yet again that black-and-white films are often anything but. Overseeing a debut that’s nuanced and gently wry (and shot to sumptuous effect), she brings fine shading to the story of three very different women and the thwarted musician who still exerts some gravitational pull in their lives, and vice versa.

While “I Will Make You Mine” stands firmly on its own, it concludes a very indie trilogy that began with “Surrogate Valentine” (2011) followed by “Daylight Savings” (2012). The earlier features were directed and co-written by Dave Boyle, starred Goh Nakamura (also a co-writer) as a version of himself and premiered at South by Southwest. Chen appeared in both as Rachel, Goh’s friend, never quite girlfriend. In “Daylight Savings,” Ayako Fujitani arrived as girlfriend Erika, and musician Yea-Ming Chen appeared as a version of herself. The three actresses take control of “I Will Make You Mine.

In Their Boots documents the stories of troops coming home from the battlefield, the young wife whose husband never returns, the child who will never know her mother. Each episode is told form the first-person — there is no narrator. This makes for very compelling and, at times, gut-wrenching storytelling. Now in its third season, the series is branching out to encompass more voices and tell different stories. This spring, five veterans were selected from over 100 applicants to have a chance at telling theirs. The five fellows attended a three day production workshop in Los Angeles and will be given a professional camera man, a $7,500 stipend, and a $10,000 budget. Their episodes will be released this summer. A production of the of the Brave New Foundation, the series is funded by the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund of the California Community Foundation. It is Executive Produced by documentarian Richard Ray Perez, and produced by Abe Greenwald,...