Microbudget filmmaker Joe Burke spent a decade trying to get a second feature off the ground after his 2013 debut FOUR DOGS. But after all the “no’s”, all the Hollywood rejection, and finally spending months waiting for an A-list actor to add to this list of “no’s”, Joe said “fuck it, I can get $7,000 together and make a movie with Burt Berger. I’m 40 years old, I need to make another movie now, and I love Burt, let’s do it.”
2 months later, he and close friend and collaborator, actor Oliver Cooper, were shooting for 7 days, for $7,000, with a 3 person crew.
This approach partly stemmed from Cooper having worked with a Welsh director who made entirely improvised movies in 5 days. Then add to this the fact that Burke and Cooper had made a largely improvised short film for $100 during the pandemic and the concept of making a feature for $7,000 seemed entirely possible.
The duo had befriended 69 year old, Parkinson’s-afflicted Los Angeles musician Burt Berger after noticing what a character he was when playing in different small venues throughout LA. They asked him to co-star in a short film and Burt was not only game, but proved surprisingly dependable.
As they got to know Burt better, they also met his roommate, Steve, who was even more of a character, and the idea to bring both roommates into a microbudget feature where they would each play themselves was born.
“The key,” Cooper said in a recent interview with The Important Cinema Club podcast, “Is to cast people who can’t not be themselves. And then create an environment where they’re relaxed enough to have cameras rolling.”
They needed one additional professional actor outside of Cooper, and so they reached out to an acting teacher Cooper had been working with, Catlin Adams, who had been working since the 1950’s. Caitlin agreed. BUT…she was also Stella Adler method AF, for example in one scene her character is meant to have just made homemade chicken soup and she demanded she get to make it from scratch before cameras rolled, much to the director’s exasperation. Especially as they had to shoot all of her scenes in just 9 hours on one day. They compromised by having pre-cooked chicken in the damn thing, but the rest they let her cook as she liked, and she turned in a performance that’s hard to deny.
Joe Burke and Oliver Cooper finished the film at the end of 2023 and expected 2024 to be their festival year. Instead, they submitted to 28 festivals and were rejected by every single one. Burke was disheartened, but the rejections forced a more independent strategy. They emailed theaters directly, arranged revenue-share screenings, sold their own tickets, and took the film on a cross-country theatrical tour. Then festivals began accepting them, and the film went on to win awards at festivals including Phoenix, Anchorage, Florida, and Cinequest. A Los Angeles Times feature followed. The rejection had not ended the film’s life. It had pushed Burke toward a more personal model of distribution.
In April 2026, Filmhub acquired the distribution rights to Burt, and released it digitally on June 23, 2026. It is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime and Apple TV - we bought it! And it was very much worth it. Part of the proceeds goes toward Parkinson’s research and care, which makes it yet more worth it. You can find out more at BurtTheMovie.com
Listen above or on your podcast platform of choice to hear us talk more in depth about the movie and pair some beautiful wines with it, of which you can read more about below.
The Wines
Dave’s Wine Pairing - Municipal Wines’ “Nowadays” Alicante Bouschet, Cucamonga Valley, Calfornia
BURT is light on its feet, effortlessly charming while dealing with heavy toopics such as Parkinson’s, poverty, crime, and unnrealized dreams. So my pairing has to be a lighter expression of a usually heavier wine.
I settled on Municipal Winemakers “Nowadays” label’s release of Alicante Bouschet from Cucamonga Valley 2022. Municipal is a Santa Barbara based winery - though they buy grapes from all over Southern California - whose mission statement is to make wines an everyday experience again, something to gather and drink regularly and not just special occasions. So they make more approachable wines, easy to pop and pour anytime, anyplace, which I thought was fitting for a $7,000 DIY feature film.
Even better, this is their “Nowadays” label which is their natural wine label or as they describe it “Biodynamic, foot-stomped, native yeast. Wine the way it used to be made. Cloudy, funky, alive.” So even more apropos for a film filled with non-actors playing themselves and shot mostly in a single location and otherwise guerilla style.
That said, this Alicante Bouschet is not particularly cloudy or funky - Alicante Bouschet is a thick skinned, dark hued grape and it’s a rare “Tinturier” grape meaning it’s red on the inside as well as the outside! So its wines are typically very dark in color, tannic, dusty, intense, and very dry in mouthfeel. But this one is light red, higher acidity making the fruit flavor more raspberry than dark plum or blackberry. A bit peppery and very smooth tannins, very little of the dry mouthfeel. It’s juicy and vibrant, chillable and easy to drink multiple glasses, like this movie is easy to watch multiple times.
I do not how long the skin contact / maceration was, but plainly not long - to be this light and gentle they couldn’t have soaked the red juice on the thick skins for long, and the red color half comes from the juice itself in this grape so they wouldn’t have to!
I say: look for Municipal Winemakers “Nowadays” Alicante Bouschet from Cucamonga Valley 2022, or a light expression of a wine that’s typically heavy. If you ask someone at your local wineshop about this, they will have something for you, guaranteed, just ask them.
Dallas’ Wine Pairing - 2018 Saddlerock “King of the Mountain” Cuvee, Malibu, California
I realized that the location had a lot to do with this film. These characters were distinctly Los Angeles. And while the film takes place in Sun Valley and was filmed in Sun Valley, these two characters likely spent a lot of time in Malibu, especially in the old days. And there is something about this that makes me want a wine that’s made of that old malibu magic. So I went seeking a malibu wine. Steve is craggy and almost volcanic while Burt is lyrical and artistic, bohemian really. And these two together make for a perfect combination.
I ultimately went with a wine that accomplishes both goals, one it honours the heavy lifting this film and its director had to do in attempting to give burt a fitting tribute to a life of creativity, dreaming and endeavor. I think the director wanted to make sure that the world knew that Burt was in fact the King of his own Mountain. This wine is also made in Malibu, oddly enough!
It is the 2018 King of The Mountain Cuvee from Saddlerock Estate. A beautifully balanced Bordeaux-style blend, Cabernet Sauvignoon heavvy. This wine opens with aromas of ripe black cherry and dark berry preserves. On the palate, rich jammy fruit is complemented by subtle spice and a lingering finish with just the right amount of structure and “kick.” The addition of Merlot softens the Cabernet Sauvignon, creating a velvety texture with smooth, approachable tannins while maintaining depth and complexity.
Look for that or a Left Bank Bordeaux - the Cab Sauv heavy Bordeaux. Perhaps a Haut-Medoc to stay in the North where it’s cooler and the wine will be fresher.
