Let Them Chirp Awhile

Jonathan Blitstein assembles an impressive cast of independent film stars for his feature debut, Let Them Chirp Awhile. The cast includes Justin Rice, star of Andrew Bujalski's acclaimed Mutual Appreciation and founder of indie-rock outfit Bishop Allen, Brendan Sexton III (Welcome To The Dollhouse, Boy's Don't Cry), Zach Galligan (Gremlins, Nothing Lasts Forever) and Anthony Rapp (Adventures in Babysitting, Dazed and Confused, Rent). Just 23 years old, Blitstein took the film on the festival circuit and quickly generated attention at the Woodstock Film Festival where the film world premiered on opening night before Julian Schnabel's Diving Bell and the Butterfly and the East Lansing Film Festival where it won the Best Feature Award.

Let Them Chirp Awhile follows three twenty-something artists as they juggle their careers, relationships and emotions in New York City. Bobby (Rice) is a struggling screenwriter who tries to get romantically involved with a woman by agreeing to take care of her dog. His friend Scott (Sexton III) is a depressed, womanizing musician with a sweet and innocent girlfriend while Hart, (Galligan) Bobby's nemesis, is a successful playwright whose campy play about 9/11 has won awards and a run at an off-Broadway theater. What begins as a quirky comedy about relationships and writer's block becomes a coming-of-age tale about competition and self-reliance among the "me-generation."

Blitstein wrote Let Them Chirp Awhile upon finishing NYU Film School and shortly after, received seed funding from the NYU Richard Vague Award Fund for recent Alumni. Blitstein's passion for his first project propelled him to cold call agents of actors he loved and believed would be a perfect fit for each character. In addition to attracting Rice, Sexton, Galligan and Rapp, Blitstein also landed Laura Breckenridge (MGM's Bumper and Picturehouse's upcoming Amusement) and Pepper Binkley (The Cherry Orchard).

Of the process, Blitstein says, "What I thought was going to be a black and white 16mm film shot in my apartment quickly became a real 35mm motion picture, something that I could be proud of." He adds, "Every day was intense, and I learned a lot about myself including one day on set where I was hospitalized and found out I was born with one kidney!" Filmed over 18 days in New York City, Let Them Chirp Awhile is written, directed, produced and edited by Jonathan Blitstein. The film is produced by Anouk Frösch. Andrew Shulkind is the director of photography. The music for the film is composed and conducted by award-winning jazz musician Giulio Carmassi with original songs by Bryan Scary.

“It’s pretty hilarious.” (Vadim Rizov, Village Voice)

“Fresh out of NYU film school, Blitstein films what he knows: His tale of a young filmmaker's writer's block gleefully incorporates all manner of antic styles, from Mack Sennett-style double-takes to Felliniesque black-and-white pantomime.” (Ronnie Scheib, Variety)