Psychological drama earns early festival honors ahead of May 16 screening at TCL Chinese Theatre
The Listeners, a psychological drama from Emmy-nominated filmmaker Joslyn Rose, will have its world premiere at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase LA Film Festival on May 16 at 4pm at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre. Tickets are available here.
The film stars Emmy and Grammy winner Blair Underwood (Longlegs), former Super Bowl champion turned actor Vernon Davis (The Ritual Killer), and Bechir Sylvain (Jurassic World: Rebirth), alongside Simone Leanora, Taylor Talley, and En Vogue’s Cindy Herron.
Written by Rose and Dominique Mouton (The Lower Bottoms), the film explores music as a healing modality at the intersection of psychological thriller and Twilight Zone–style reality. The story follows David (Davis), a once-celebrated jazz musician who mysteriously loses his ability to hear music. As doctors portrayed by Underwood and Leanora debate whether his condition is neurological or psychological, David undergoes an unconventional unraveling — one that forces him to confront memory, trauma, and perception, ultimately questioning whether healing requires scientific proof or simply the willingness to listen inward. Rather than leaning on conventional thriller tropes, the film moves through quiet tension, where silence itself becomes a character.
Original music is provided by Academy Award and Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste and Grammy Award-nominated producer No I.D.
The film arrives with significant early momentum, already earning Best Actor honors for Underwood and Best Director for Rose ahead of its official premiere. Following its festival debut, The Listeners will screen at the Culver Theatre on June 4 as part of the 17th Annual New Media Film Festival.
For Davis, the project carries deep personal weight. Having partnered with Rose across multiple projects over the past decade, the role allows him to channel lived experience — mental health struggles have profoundly affected his family, shaping both his performance and the film’s broader message about stigma and healing.
The film is produced by Mouton under her Dido Belle Productions banner, Davis through Reel 85 Productions, alongside Underwood, Rose, Anwulika Oputa, and Emmy-winning producer Gary Reeves, who has also served as a social impact and spiritual advisor to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.