About JUST SING

Directors’ Statement

For two years, we were immersed in the lives of our protagonists, embedded not only in the world of the SoCal VoCals but also within the broader realm of collegiate a cappella. What might have seemed like a typical narrative of a prestigious a cappella group striving for a highly coveted trophy instead unfolded into a deeply personal exploration of young people navigating universal themes of identity, belonging, and self-expression. Through their shared passion for music, each member embarks on their own journey of self-discovery, ultimately finding and defining their own voice.

As directors, both of us grew up surrounded by music—homes where singing was a family tradition, where albums spun on car rides to and from school, and the lyrics to the ballads we sang at 21 still echo in our minds. Music, for us, was a source of joy, solace, and even healing. But nothing could have prepared us for the raw talent, unwavering commitment, and deep camaraderie we witnessed when we first met the SoCal VoCals.

Over a year of filming, we aimed to capture not only the technical brilliance and passion of the VoCals’ music but also the raw, unfiltered moments that define the college experience. We wanted to craft an intimate portrayal of these students as they navigate the pressures of legacy, the thrill of performance, and the friendships and personal growth that mark this formative period of life.

We also interviewed their parents to provide depth and texture, grounding the singers’ stories in the environments from which they came. These diverse backgrounds enrich the narrative, showing how so many different voices come together in perfect harmony—both musically and personally.

Ultimately, we hope JUST SING resonates as a universal coming-of-age story that transcends the world of collegiate a cappella. We want audiences to see themselves in the struggles and triumphs of these young performers, recognizing the common threads of growth, self-discovery, and the search for belonging. The SoCal VoCals represent not only the evolution of acapella but also the personal evolution of each individual within a community. Their story is a powerful reminder of the journey we all take to find our place in the world.

–  Angelique Molina & Abraham Troen

Cinematographers’ Statement

JUST SING is a vérité documentary that immerses viewers in the world of its characters, capturing intimate, up-close moments in their college lives. From cramped dorm rooms to the wings of performance venues, the camera acts as a fly on the wall, quietly observing pivotal moments for both the individual singers and the team as a whole.

As co-directors and co-cinematographers, we opted for prime lenses to create a high-end, observational style that evokes the feel of an indie narrative film. Each lens choice, made on the fly, reflects the duality of the journey—the weight of chasing big dreams and the raw joy of singing. A wide 15mm lens and drone shots convey the looming sky over New York City's final competition, while a 125mm lens captures intimate, nervous moments behind the scenes, where the stakes are personal. This balance between the big picture and small, emotional moments reflects the essence of the story.

For camerawork, we used a mix of steady, polished shots with the Alexa Mini for campus scenes, paired with smaller, handheld cameras for vérité moments. The goal was to stay close to our participants, allowing the camera to move with them, unobtrusive yet present, so the audience feels like part of the team.

Interviews were filmed on-the-fly, often while our subjects were in transit or preparing for class, and in intimate sit-down settings where they felt comfortable—dorm rooms or rehearsal spaces with soft, natural lighting. The intent was to keep the look unpolished yet flattering, allowing viewers to connect with the subjects on a deeper, more empathetic level, rooting for them as they navigate their coming-of-age journey.

–  Angelique Molina & Abraham Troen

  • Angelique Molina is a Los Angeles based filmmaker whose work centers on character driven stories exploring resilience, identity, and the shifting landscapes of community. Across documentary and narrative, she is drawn to intimate, human stories that examine ambition, survival, and belonging. She co-directed the feature film I’M FINE (Thanks for Asking), which premiered at South by Southwest in 2021 and later aired on BET. In 2017, Molina directed the documentary There Goes the Neighborhood, which followed residents of the nation’s largest middle-class Black neighborhood as they witnessed gentrification unfold in real time. The film was an official selection of the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Pan African Film Festival, and received the Best Documentary Short Award at the USC First Look Film Festival. She also served on the producing team for the Boardwalk Pictures and Concordia Studio documentary feature Accepted, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and later aired nationally on PBS. Her films are guided by close attention to character, place, and the social forces that shape everyday life.

  • Abraham "Abie" Troen is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. He has led documentary projects in Israel, Kenya, India, Mexico, the US and Canada, lensing documentaries for Netflix, the BBC, Vanity Fair, Conde Nast, and OUT Magazine, his work has screened at Tribeca, TIFF, SXSW, Doc NYC IDFA amongst others. Abie studied at the Sam Spiegel school for film and Television in Jerusalem, received a BA from Brandeis University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and an MFA from USC where was awarded the Annenberg Fellowship for excellence, the highest merit scholarship at USC for which he used to specialize in documentary filmmaking. In 2017, Abraham directed Finding Home, a series of portraits of LGBT asylum seekers living in LA, for which he won the QFilms best director award and the Don Thompson award and was on the BAFTA shortlist. Together with Emmy award-winning director, Maya Zinshtein, and Academy Award-winning Producer John Battsek, Abraham was both Producer and DOP for ‘Til Kingdom Come (2020); he spent three years intimately documenting the Evangelical influence on US foreign affairs with Israel. The film was awarded the Sundance DFP Grant, Bertha Doc Society Journalism award, and IDA Enterprise Fund among others. Abraham was named 2026 JFI Filmmaker in Residence. He resides in Los Angeles and is currently filming on both sides of the Atlantic.

  • James Righton is an Ivor Novello nominated songwriter, performer, composer and producer based in London. His work in scoring films and series includes BBC 1 series Daddy Issues starring Amy Lou Wood and David Morrissey, Benjamin by Simon Amstell, I'll Be Right There starring Edie Falco, and upcoming Netflix documentary Untold: The Liver King by Joe Pearlman. Righton has composed music for Dior, Tiffany's, EE, Comic Relief, Tate and Frieze and his music has featured in numerous film and television shows including Skins, Shameless and Les Cinq Diables. In 2024 he composed runway music for Erdem at the British Museum as well as music for the Tiffany & Co Wonder exhibition in Tokyo and the Landmark in New York. Alongside work in film and television James has released 3 solo records and worked with a diverse array of artists including ABBA, The Chemical Brothers, Rihanna, Arctic Monkeys and Soulwax/2manydjs. Before embarking on a solo career Righton was a founding member of the band Klaxons, whose multi-platinum selling debut won the Mercury Prize in 2007. The band released 3 albums, toured extensively and supported Bjork, Daft Punk and Blur. Righton is currently working on Season 2 of Daddy Issues.

  • Sarah Thomson is an award-winning producer based in London. Her debut feature documentary, The Australian Dream, opened the 2019 Melbourne International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. The film went on to screen at renowned festivals such as Telluride, Toronto, London, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and IDFA, earning widespread acclaim. The Australian Dream won several prestigious accolades, including the Australian Academy of Cinema Award for Best Documentary, an Asian Academy Creative Award, a Screen Producers Award, and a Walkley Award for excellence in journalism. It was also nominated for a British Independent Film Award, and Sarah was long listed for the 2021 BAFTA Outstanding Debut. Sarah's second feature, If These Walls Could Sing, was Mary McCartney's directorial debut. It premiered at Telluride Film Festival and was later released by Disney+. More recently, Sarah produced The Deepest Breath, a freediving documentary financed by A24, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2023 and was acquired by Netflix. The film went on to win two Critics' Choice Awards and an Emmy. Sarah also worked as a production executive for Ventureland on the Oscar-nominated Bobi Wine: The People's President. In 2026 Sarah produced The Last First: Winter K2 which debuted at Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Apple TV+.

  • John’s career began with the Academy Award-winning One Day in September, which he conceived and produced. His body of work includes the Academy Award and BAFTA-winning Searching for Sugar Man, as well as the Academy Award-nominated Restrepo and Winter on Fire. He also produced the Emmy-winning Manhunt: The Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden, The Tillman Story, and Forever Pure. John was a producer on the Grammy-nominated Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars and the BAFTA-nominated, Peabody Award-winning Listen to Me Marlon. Additionally, he served as Executive Producer on the BAFTA Award-winning films The Imposter and Hillsborough. His other notable credits include the multiple Emmy-winning The Rescue (National Geographic) and the Critics Choice-nominated The Real Charlie Chaplin (Showtime). John also produced the double Emmy-winning Rising Phoenix (Netflix), as well as the critically acclaimed biopics Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In (Amazon) and Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story (CNN/BBC).

    In 2020, John co-founded Ventureland with PRETTYBIRD partners Kerstin Emhoff, Ali Brown, and Paul Hunter. Under the Ventureland banner, John produced Bobi Wine: The People’s President, which was DGA, BAFTA, and Academy Award-nominated and premiered at both the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals before being acquired by National Geographic Documentary Films. He also produced Mary McCartney’s directorial debut, If These Walls Could Sing, about the legendary Abbey Road Studios, which premiered at Telluride Film Festival and was acquired by Disney+. Additionally, he produced Alex Gibney’s portrait of tennis legend Boris Becker, Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker (Apple TV+), which premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival, and Laura McGann’s The Deepest Breath (Netflix), an A24-financed, Critics Choice Award-winning summer hit that premiered at Sundance 2023.

    More recently, John produced the critically acclaimed and BAFTA nominated Wham! (Netflix), the PGA and Emmy Award-winning docuseries Beckham (Netflix), and served as Executive Producer on Elton John: Never Too Late. In 2026 John produced The Last First: Winter K2 which premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Apple TV+.

  • Amanda Newman has served as Executive Director of Varsity Vocals for 20 years, dedicating her career to promoting, encouraging, and providing unique performance opportunities for young musicians. Amanda has extensive experience producing educational and entertaining concerts, festivals, and competitions, as well as handling recorded music distribution and production. Under Amanda’s leadership, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) tournament has more than tripled in size and currently features 12000 singers from more than 600 competing groups each year. Amanda was also responsible for the creation and development of the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) in 2006, a program that has significantly expanded since its inception and has helped foster a passion for a cappella in thousands of high school students. In college, Amanda was an ICCA competitor herself, serving as business manager and choreographer for the University of Illinois vocal jazz a cappella group, No Strings Attached. Under her leadership, the group earned second place and accolades for Outstanding Choreography at ICCA Midwest Semifinals, as well as their first track on BOCA. Amanda has also served as Publicity Manager for the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, and as Operations Coordinator for Ravinia Festival‘s Steans Institute for Young Artists.

About The Filmmaking Team

Production Companies

  • Founded by Academy Award-winning producer John Battsek (ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER, SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN) and PRETTYBIRD partners Kerstin Emhoff, Ali Brown, and Paul Hunter, Ventureland works with the most exciting and innovative creatives in the industry to produce award-winning films and series, including PGA and BAFTA nominated THE RESCUE (Nat Geo Doc Films); Emmy Award-winning RISING PHOENIX (Netflix); Mary McCartney’s documentary on Abbey Road Studios, IF THESE WALLS COULD SING (Disney+). Additional credits include Laura McGann’s THE DEEPEST BREATH (A24), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (2023); Bafta-nominated documentary WHAM! (Netflix); BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT (Nat Geo Doc Films), which premiered at Venice International Film Festival (2023) and was nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards.  Ventureland also produced BECKHAM, a four part series on cultural icon David Beckham which premiered on Netflix to critical acclaim and won a Primetime Emmy as well as a PGA Award. More recently, Ventureland premiered KEROUAC'S ROAD: BEAT OF A NATION (Universal Pictures) at Tribeca Film Festival 2025, as well as the hit true crime documentary MURDER IN MONACO (Netflix). Ventureland also premiered Amir Bar-Lev's THE LAST FIRST: WINTER K2 at Sundance Film Festival 2026 where it was acquired by Apple. Ventureland is currently in production on a number of projects, including a docu-series on pop icon Kylie Minogue (Netflix) and a docu-series about the legendary football manager José Mourinho (Netflix).

  • Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio, focused on telling compelling stories through the lens of music. Current and recent projects include Oscar and BAFTA award-nominated American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions/Netflix, If These Walls Could Sing, directed by Mary McCartney for Disney+, My Life as a Rolling Stone for the BBC and MGM+, Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl for Netflix, This Town, a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator, and executive producer Steven Knight, Linda Perry: Let it Die Here, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and the recently announced One to One: John & Yoko from Oscar and BAFTA award-winning director, Kevin Macdonald. Mercury Studios also produced Sam Smith: Live at the Royal Albert Hall for BBC, Billie Eilish’s Overheated at the O2 London and Lang Lang Plays Disney for Disney+. Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalogue of music-related content, consisting of thousands of hours of premium music-driven film and television programming.

  • wiip is a global independent studio, distinctive in its talent-first approach by inspiring storytellers to do what they love - create. Led by entertainment veteran Paul Lee, wiip’s critically acclaimed premium slate includes Jenny Han’s global sensation YA drama, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” for Prime Video; Brad Ingelsby’s Emmy® Award-winning limited series, “Mare of Easttown,” starring Kate Winslet, as well as his prestige drama series “Task,” starring Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey, both for HBO Max; Alena Smith’s Peabody Award-winning series, “Dickinson,” starring Hailee Steinfeld, for Apple TV+; “Bodkin,” the first scripted drama from Higher Ground Productions, starring Will Forte, for Netflix; Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck’s limited series, “White House Plumbers,” starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux, for HBO Max; Danny Boyle’s “Pistol;" Matthew Berry and Arthur Mathews’ “Toast of Tinseltown;” and Cody Heller’s “Dummy,” starring Emmy®-nominated Anna Kendrick, for The Roku Channel. Upcoming projects include "The Undertow," starring Jamie Dornan for Netflix; “The Off Weeks,” starring Ben Stiller and Jessica Chastain, and Gideon Raff’s “Safe Houses,” both for Apple TV+; and “Boys of Tommen,” commissioned by Prime Video and produced in association with Amazon MGM Studios. Expanding into features, wiip produced the inspiring coming-of-age musical documentary, "Just Sing," which premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, in partnership with Ventureland’s John Battsek and Sarah Thomson. wiip is also partnering with Amazon MGM Studios to co-produce the feature-film continuation of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

  • Theorem Media is a mission driven non-profit that connects the most important stories of our time with audiences that have the capacity to change our future. Guided by a coalition of filmmakers, designers, producers, writers, journalists, activists and philanthropists, Theorem Media invites audiences to participate in ecosystems of change by harnessing the fundamental human desire to experience a good story. Learn more by visiting our website at www.theoremmedia.org.

Distributor

  • AB2 Media Group (AB2) provides best-in-class strategic advisory and sales services to intellectual property stakeholders, including acclaimed filmmakers, major networks, premier record labels, digital platforms and high-profile artists. Abramorama, the theatrical releasing division of AB2, is a preeminent global distribution and marketing partner for nonfiction, narrative, sports and music films and is recognized for the consistent high quality of its work.

    Over the course of more than 25 years, Abramorama has successfully distributed and marketed hundreds of films, including the record breaking Hello, Love, Again directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana and The Last Class directed by Elliot Kirschner; Oliver Stone’s Nuclear Now; Sam Green’s 32 Sounds, Vanessa & Ted Hope’s Invisible Nation; Ron Howard’s Grammy Award®-winning The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years; Stanley Nelson’s Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool; Atlantic Records and Melanie Martinez’ K-12; John McDermott’s Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip – The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead; Corbett Redford and Green Day’s Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk; Brett Bern's BANG! The Bert Berns Story; Brett Morgen and National Geographic’s seminal Jane; Asif Kapadia’s Senna; Neil Young’s vast catalog of Bernard Shakey Productions; Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty; Sacha Gervasi’s Spirit Award-winning Anvil! The Story of Anvil; Banksy’s Academy Award® nominated & Spirit Award-winning Exit Through the Gift Shop; and the episodic theatrical series Deconstructing The Beatles.

    In January of 2019, AB2 launched ABCinemaNOW with a live multicast streaming program from Paris, France for a 55-country release of Roberta Grossman and Nancy Spielberg’s Who Will Write Our History. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic AB2 released 24 feature films as appointment viewing live virtual cinema events simultaneously across multiple digital platforms and launched the first paid feature film to premiere globally on META in 2021.  For more information, please visit www.AB2mediagroup.com