Katarina Zhu’s Bunnylovr to Open in April With Rachel Sennott as Co-Star and Producer
rachel sennott co-stars in and produces Bunnylovr, the feature that marks Katarina Zhu’s directorial debut and that Utopia will release theatrically on April 10.
Utopia sets April 10 theatrical launch
Utopia has acquired North American theatrical rights to Bunnylovr and will open the film on April 10, with premieres scheduled at Quad Cinema in New York City and Landmark’s Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles, concrete release plans that follow the movie’s premiere at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Rachel Sennott joins Zhu in a New York-set camgirl drama
Zhu stars as Rebecca, a Chinese-American camgirl in New York who navigates a toxic relationship with a client while reconciling with her estranged father; rachel sennott co-stars and also serves as a producer on the project. The cast also includes Austin Amelio, Perry Yung and Jack Kilmer, names attached to roles that round out the ensemble for Zhu’s first feature as writer-director.
Filmmakers, producers and early responses
Zhu produced Bunnylovr alongside Sennott and Ani Schroeter, with Roger Mancusi producing for Fair Oaks Entertainment and Rhianon Jones and Tristan Scott-Behrends producing for Neon Heart Productions; Deb Tam, James Graham, Tony Yang and others are listed as executive producers. Zhu called the partnership with Utopia rare for a debut, saying, “I feel incredibly lucky to be working with a team that is so committed to bold, filmmaker-driven work, and to be joining a roster of films and filmmakers I admire deeply. ”
Kyle Greenberg, head of distribution and marketing at Utopia, praised Zhu’s voice and described Bunnylovr as both provocative and vulnerable, tying that assessment to Utopia’s decision to champion the film from the start. Critic Lovia Gyarkye wrote that the film’s strength lies in its character study of “a languid young woman who came of age online, ” an early critical response that followed the Sundance screening.
This theatrical pickup marks a continued relationship between Sennott and Utopia: it is her third film to land distribution with the company, following Shiva Baby and I Used to Be Funny. The April 10 opening at two city theaters will put Bunnylovr before audiences in both New York and Los Angeles as the next confirmed step in the film’s rollout.
Utopia’s April 10 theatrical openings at Quad Cinema in New York City and Landmark’s Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles are the next scheduled events for Bunnylovr; the filmmakers and distributors have signaled those dates as the public premiere of Zhu’s debut feature.
