Web-series 'COUP!' screening at Austin Film Festival

Updated: Jan 17, 2021

Announcing the webseries

COUP!

Screening Announced at the Austin Film Festival

(click to download hi-res image)

*Special sneak preview for press - check out eps 1-3 of COUP!*

COUP! the new web series from the award-winning writing and directing team Emergency Contact (Matt Klaus Esolda and Brian Goodheart) is a satire of first world problems delivered in a comedy about third world problems. In COUP!, Lena Remnick is just an everyday government operative struggling to use the surveillance state for good. When her brother/Dictator, Sergio H.W. Remnick, is targeted for assassination, she pulls some strings to save him. Now, he and his bruised ego are crashing on her couch while she dodges an international assassin, her boss’s management style, and the will of the faceless Deep State Official in charge of it all. COUP! plays with sitcom tropes to deconstruct larger issues. It uses a sibling rivalry to question entrenched, yet unqualified political dynasties. It laughs at American exceptionalism by exporting it to a fictional puppet state ruled by a dictator with an out-sized ego, who has more twitter followers than actual citizens. It sets the U.S. surveillance state on a collision course with internet stardom. All of this comes together to create a revolutionary family comedy. The creators of the series, Matt and Brian, wanted to create a comedy rooted in the reality of our current cultural moment, but without making things feel hopeless. COUP! gives viewers a chance to laugh at our political climate, while reminding them that the roots of the world’s problems won’t go away after any one election. They hope to use comedy to give our audience a moment of relief, as well as a fresh perspective to nudge us all towards making the world a better place. For additional stills and behind-the-scenes photos, go to: sharkpartymedia.com/coup

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:

Matt Klaus Esolda and Brian Goodheart are the award-winning writing and directing team known as Emergency Contact. Their focus is on stories about humans and humanity, using story craft, novelty, and comedy to highlight all the good and bad things that make humans who they are.

Matt Klaus Esolda is an award-winning NYC filmmaker, creative, designer, and animator. His work has screened at SXSW, Brooklyn Museum, and Fantastic Fest. Brian Goodheart is a NYC based creative producer, writer, director, sound designer, and re-recording engineer. He has mixed award-winning commercials and short films, as well as award-winning feature films that have premiered at SXSW and Berlin International Film Festival. He is the co-owner and creative producer of the narrative sci-fi podcast Marsfall. Esolda and Goodheart met on a job in 2008 and haven’t left each other alone since. They’ve worked together on a number of film and advertising projects including the short film Waiting For the End of the World. Together and individually, their work has screened at SXSW, Berlin International Film Festival, and Indianapolis International Film Festival. COUP! is their most recent collaboration, which has managed to screen both virtually and live, at a number of festivals during the ongoing pandemic. They aren’t stopping there though, and have multiple digital series in development, as well as several serialized television ideas and feature films.