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Issued by Theorem Media on September 23, 2026. Source: EIN Presswire.
Documentary “Hail to the Breadsticks!” Explores Native American Mascot Debate Through Father-Son Journey
WESTPORT, CT. Theorem Media is leading the national release of Hail to the Breadsticks! that includes a Sept 16th premiere on Kinema, Native American Heritage Month theatrical events, and a December nationwide TVOD release.
Theorem Media, a nonprofit distribution studio for independent film, today announced it is leading the national release of Hail to the Breadsticks!, a documentary directed by Donick Cary that examines the debate over Native American sports mascots through the lens of a father and son’s cross-country journey.
The film follows Cary and his young son, Otis, after Otis asks whether the name of the football team they root for together, a name passed down from Cary’s own father, is racist. The question leads the pair to conversations with more than 60 Native Americans, including former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), Pulitzer Prize finalist Tommy Orange (Cheyenne, Arapaho), Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo (Seminole, Muscogee Creek), the late Graham Greene (Oneida), Taboo (Shoshone, Hopi, Mexican), Redbone’s Pat Vegas (Shoshone, Yoeme), Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa, Choctaw), Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe), Stevie Salas (Mescalero Apache), and Joey Clift (Cowlitz), among others. The film also includes appearances by Ice-T, Hank Azaria, Hari Kondabolu, and Washington football alumni Charles Mann and George Starke (African American, Mohawk).
Cary previously directed Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics, which reached #1 overall on Netflix in 2020. His other credits include writing for The Simpsons and Late Show with David Letterman, and directing episodes of Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, and New Girl.
Release Details
The release begins September 16 on Kinema, where the film will be available to rent for $8.99. Organizations, with a particular focus on Native-led groups, may also book in-person screenings or virtual watch parties during an early-access window ahead of eventized theatrical screenings scheduled for National Native American Heritage Month in November. On December 1, the film expands to a wide transactional-video-on-demand release on Amazon, Apple TV, and additional platforms.
Hail to the Breadsticks! is the first film to move through Theorem Media’s expanded distribution pipeline following the studio’s recent acquisition of Portrait Creative Network. Seeing Red Media, an Indigenous-owned company founded by executive producer Bryan Porter (Mohawk), is leading social amplification and Indigenous creator outreach. FNX (First Nations Experience) has joined the release as a media partner.
“I made this film because my son asked me a question I couldn’t answer, and because a lot of Native people were generous enough to answer it for us,” said Cary. “We met so many cool people from all over Native America making this and are thrilled to share some of their stories.”
“For Natives, this movie is cathartic and hilarious, but we already know we’re not cartoons or extinct,” said Joey Clift (Cowlitz), a consulting producer on the film. “It’s really for the guy in the jersey who never thought about it, and it gets to him by being funny instead of scolding.”
HAIL TO THE BREADSTICKS! (United States, 90 minutes, English). Written and Directed by Donick Cary. Produced by Joshua Neuman. Executive Produced by Stevie Salas, Bryan Porter, and Jill Karp.
Links
Featured image: The 824 Journal title card.
