Private Project

Lars the Emo Kid

Lars Hyde is depressed. He’s lost his best friend, he’s being bullied at school, his parents are divorcing… He is ready to give up. It takes a group of misfits to show him what real friendship is. Follow Lars as he tries to find his place in this dark, funny and ultimately uplifting teen coming of age tale.

  • Joe Grisaffi
    Director
    Dead of Knight, Conjoined, Laughing Boy
  • Paxton Gilmore
    Writer
  • Joe Grisaffi
    Producer
    Dead of Knight, Conjoined, Laughing Boy
  • Paxton Gilmore
    Key Cast
    Doll Factory
  • Nicole Elliott
    Key Cast
    The Occult, Abel's Field
  • Tyler Tackett
    Key Cast
  • David Simpson
    Key Cast
    American Horror Story
  • Roland Ruiz
    Key Cast
    Boyhood, Machete
  • Sara Gaston
    Key Cast
    In a Madman's World, Dead of Knight, Conjoined
  • Sabrea Somers Munz
    Co-Producers
  • Sara Gaston
    Co-Producers
    Dead of Knight
  • Joe Grisaffi
    Editor
    Laughing Boy, Dead of Knight, Death and a Salesman
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, teen
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 39 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 6, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, DSLR
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Austin Revolution Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
    September 23, 2016
    Austin Premiere
    Best Texas Actor: Paxton Gilmore
  • Lake Charles Film Festival
    Lake Charles, LA
    United States
    October 8, 2016
    Louisiana Premiere
    Best Actor: Paxton Gilmore, Best Narrative Feature, Best of Show
  • Another Independent International Film Festival
    Eau Claire
    United States
    September 10, 2016
    Wisconsin
  • Portobello Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 13, 2016
    UK
  • Summer Slam Film Festival
    Freeport, TX
    United States
    September 25, 2016
    Best Comedy Feature, Best Comedic Screenplay
Director Biography - Joe Grisaffi

Joe Grisaffi is an actor and award-winning director from Houston, Texas. The films he has directed include Laughing Boy, Dead of Knight, Conjoined, and Lars the Emo Kid. Films Joe has appeared in include Psychic Experiment, Jacob, Doll Factory, The Haunted Trailer and the upcoming films In a Madman’s World and Gem of the Rainforest. Joe spent some time at ADV Films where he directed the English dub of Cyberteam in Akihabara and voiced roles in the animes Tears for Tiara, Megazone 23 Part II, Saiyuki and others. Joe is also working with videogame programmer Jason Santuci creating games based on his films Dead of Knight, Laughing Boy and Conjoined... for the Atari 2600. Visit Joe’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/joegrisaffi or his IMDb page at www.imdb.me/joegrisaffi

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film's life began on the set of a short film where I met a young filmmaker named Paxton Gilmore. Paxton told me about a short film he made called Lars the Emo Kid. I went home and watched it and loved it. The next day I called Paxton and told him if he was to write a feature length screenplay based on Lars, and I liked it, I would produce and direct it. Well, I liked it and here we are.

Lars the Emo Kid has become a very special film to me. Not only did we create a very heartwarming film with characters many people can identify with, but the film now also represents survival - I went down with a serious illness just before production wrapped, one cast member had a heart transplant shortly after production and is doing well now, and another crew member fought off cancer.