Greenwich Entertainment Acquires Matthew Shear’s SXSW Prize-Winner ‘Fantasy Life’

EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Fantasy Life, the debut feature of actor turned writer-director Matthew Shear, which won multiple prizes, including the Audience Award, at SXSW 2025.

No release date was disclosed. Visit Films is overseeing international sales at Cannes.

Shear (Between the Temples) stars opposite Amanda Peet (Your Friends and Neighbors), the winner of a Special Jury Award at SXSW, as Sam Stein, who after losing his job as a paralegal, suffers a panic attack and stumbles into a job babysitting his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters. The girls’ mother, Dianne (Peet), is an actor whose once-promising career has stalled; she’s in a difficult marriage to David (Alessandro Nivola), a rock bassist. When David goes abroad on tour, Dianne and Sam discover an easy rapport as well as a shared history of mental illness. Sam joins Dianne’s family to babysit for the summer on Martha’s Vineyard, and he ends up in a house with the woman he pines for, her husband, the three kids, and all four grandparents, including his psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch).

The film garnered strong reviews at SXSW, with Deadline’s Pete Hammond writing, “The casting here is perfection. Peet, out of films the last few years, is thankfully back in style with a role she makes her own, giving this drifting soul real gravitas and poignancy…this is Shear’s show in front of and behind the camera, and if Fantasy Life is any indication, he has a bright future with both.”

Others in the cast of Fantasy Life include Bob Balaban (Asteroid City), Andrea Martin (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Jessica Harper (Bones and All), Holland Taylor (Bombshell), and Zosia Mamet (The Flight Attendant).

Charlie Alderman, Chris Dodds, and Greg Field produced the pic on behalf of new outfit Prospect Avenue alongside Phil Keefe for AC3 Media, Peet, and Emily McCann Lesser. Made By Limbo and Charlie’s Production Company also produced with David Bernon and Sam Slater for Burn Later. Alex Field and Shear executive produced.

“I’m so thrilled and appreciative to the Greenwich team for partnering with us to bring Fantasy Life to movie theaters,” Shear told Deadline. “The film has a large ensemble of New York characters ages 6-89 and I was beyond blessed to work with masters of comedic film acting like Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, and Alessandro Nivola. But I’m particularly excited to share Amanda Peet’s lead performance as Dianne; it is uniquely honest, funny, and beautiful, and I think audiences will love to watch Amanda shine.”

Greenwich Entertainment is coming off the acquisition of Sundance dramas Love, Brooklyn and Omaha, as well as Berlin titles Islands and Dreams. The deal was negotiated by Greenwich’s Andy Bohn with CAA Media Finance representing the filmmakers.