Fantasy A Gets a Mattress

Fantasy A Gets a Mattress
Directed byNoah Zoltan Sofian
David Norman Lewis
Written byNoah Zoltan Sofian
David Norman Lewis
Produced bySafiye Rose Senturk
Noah Zoltan Sofian
David Norman Lewis
StarringFantasy A
Acacia Porter
Logic Amen
Aaron Billingsly
Ready Ron
Keosha Lovely Fredricks
Miles Stanberry
CinematographyNoah Zoltan Sofian
Ryan Cutuli
Edited byNoah Zoltan Sofian
David Norman Lewis
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Fantasy A Gets a Mattress is a 2023 American independent comedy film written and directed by Noah Zoltan Sofian and David Norman Lewis and produced by Sofian, Lewis, and Safiye Rose Senturk. The film stars Fantasy A and is based loosely on his life and sections of his memoir, Life in the Eyes of an Autistic Person.

Plot

After coming home past curfew, Fantasy A gets kicked out of his group home for disabled adults. While searching for a new place to sleep, Fantasy A interacts with an ensemble cast of characters as he simultaneously seeks superstardom.

Cast

  • Fantasy A as Himself
  • Acacia Porter as Asia Rose
  • Logic Amen as Ramon
  • Aaron Billingsly as Zander
  • Ready Ron as Ed Jones
  • Keosha Lovely Fredricks as Lil Rude Puss
  • Chris Zapata as Glenn
  • Miles Stanberry as Male Model
  • Osato Cooley as Osato
  • Elizabeth Navarro as Annabelle
  • DoNormaal as Crystal
  • Louis Wilson as Louis The Bartender
  • Charles McKinney as Scabby
  • Tony Beck as Grady
  • Margaret Channon as Canvasser
  • Karen Wetterhahn as White Lady

Production

Fantasy A Gets a Mattress was filmed in numerous locations throughout Seattle. The filmmakers and most of the cast and crew members involved are also from Seattle. The core production team and Fantasy A all attended the same high school in Seattle.[1]

Release and reception

Festivals

Fantasy A Gets a Mattress was selected to screen at the following film festivals:

Critical response

In Chase Hutchinson's review for The Seattle Times, he wrote, "the history of Seattle film has a new chapter that, while still being written, begins and ends with Fantasy A."[13] Natalia Mesa, writing for High Country News, stated, "The interstitial back alleys, dark clubs, industrial zones and skate parks not only serve as low-budget locales, they also expose Seattle’s underbelly, which is rarely captured on film."[14]

Brendan Kiley, reviewing the film for The Seattle Times's Pacific NW Magazine, wrote, “There is a part of us it wakes up—a part we’ve been yearning to have awoken.”[15] Writing for The Stranger, culture critic Charles Mudede compared the film to Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You, stating, "What do these works show? How surreal it is to live in a world where what is most unreal (poverty) has the most reality."[4]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for Fantasy A Gets a Mattress
Award Year Category Nominee Result Ref.
Seattle Black Film Festival Jury Awards 2023 Best Feature Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Won [14]
Berlin Indie Film Festival Jury Awards 2023 Best Cinematography Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Won [16][17]
Local Sightings Film Festival Jury Awards 2023 Best Feature Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Won [18][19]
Tacoma Film Festival Jury Awards 2023 Best PNW Narrative Feature Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Won [20]
Silent City Film Festival Jury Awards 2023 Best Comedic Feature Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Won [21]
Seattle Film Critics Society Jury Awards 2023 Achievement in Pacific Northwest Filmmaking Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Nominated [22]
Spokane International Film Festival Jury Awards 2024 Most Promising Filmmaker Fantasy A Gets a Mattress Won [23]

References

  1. ^ Kiley, Brendan (December 8, 2023). "With 'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress,' a Seattle rapper is living his dream". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Davis, Mike (June 30, 2023). "Mike's adventures in art: 'Solaris', 'Formation', 'Fantasy A'". KUOW-FM. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  3. ^ Davis, Mike; Denkmann, Libby (September 24, 2023). "'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress': Local low-budget movie gains momentum in Seattle". KUOW. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Mudede, Charles (September 13, 2023). "Fantasy A's Incoherent City". The Stranger. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Guarente, Gabe (September 11, 2023). "What to see at Northwest Film Forum's Local Sightings festival". SEAToday. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Minton, Matt (October 3, 2023). "Celebrating Ithaca's silent Hollywood past with a new film festival". The Ithaca Voice. Ithaca, New York. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Wickersham, Hailee (August 23, 2023). "The Tacoma Film Festival is Back". South Sound Magazine. Tacoma, Washington. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Amenn, Joan (August 27, 2023). "Review: Fantasy A Gets a Mattress". In Their Own League. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "2023 TASH Conference Baltimore". Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Staff Pick: Fantasy A Gets a Mattress". The Inlander. Spokane, Washington. February 5, 2024. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  11. ^ @oskabright (February 7, 2024). "Fantasy A, a real-life autistic Seattle rapper, suffers trials and tribulations from total creeps as he attempts to become a superstar. After being kicked out of his group home onto the grim summer streets, Fantasy A sets off on an odyssey to achieve fame and to find a good mattress to sleep on in this ensemble comedy filmed entirely on location in Seattle. ✨🍿 Catch @fantasyagetsamattressmovie at @lewes_depot next month. To find out more, visit oskabright.org". Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024 – via Instagram.
  12. ^ @capcityfilmfest (February 7, 2024). "Described as "a juicy, and profoundly sweaty, adventure" this "comic surrealist" narrative feature is our first announcement of programming for #CCFF24! FANTASY A GETS A MATTRESS tells the story of real-life autistic Seattle rapper, Fantasy A, who sets off on an odyssey to achieve fame and find a good mattress to sleep on in this ensemble comedy filmed in Seattle". Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024 – via Instagram.
  13. ^ Hutchinson, Chase (September 12, 2023). "A Seattle rapper takes center stage in 'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress'". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Mesa, Natalia (October 18, 2023). "A new film asks: how do you make art in a city you can't afford?". High Country News. Peoria, Colorado. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Kiley, Brendan (December 8, 2023). "'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress' gets an A for its award-winning awakening". The Seattle Times Pacific NW Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  16. ^ Helming, Savannah (May 15, 2024). "Who Is Fantasy A, Really? Get To Know Seattle's Favorite Niche Celebrity". The Seattle Medium. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  17. ^ Berlin Indie Film Festival (June 2023). "Winners & Honorable Mention". Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  18. ^ Northwest Film Forum (October 6, 2023). "Local Sightings Film Festival 2023 Announces Award Winners for Best Feature & Short Films". Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  19. ^ The Olympian Staff (November 4, 2023). "What's happening this week around Thurston County". The Olympian. Olympia, Washington. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  20. ^ Tacoma Film Festival (October 18, 2023). "Tacoma Film Festival 2023 Award Winners". Tacoma, Washington. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  21. ^ Silent City Film Festival. "2023 SCFF Jury & Winners". Ithaca, New York. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  22. ^ Guarente, Gabe (December 4, 2023). "Local film 'Fantasy A Gets a Mattress' is 2023's sleeper hit". SeaToday. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  23. ^ Shipman, Misty (November 30, 2019). "Noah Zoltan Sofian and David Norman Lewis for Fantasy A Gets a Mattress". Spokane International Film Festival. Spokane, Washington. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.