PRESS RELEASE (02/04/2026)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Case for Coping Selected for San Francisco Independent Film Festival

Heartfelt Noir short film screens at the Roxie Theater as part of SF IndieFest 2026

Sacramento, CA — A Case for Coping, a short film written and directed by filmmaker Mitch Bechtold, has been selected for the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, where it will screen at the historic Roxie Theater as part of the festival’s Heart & Grit program.

The film follows a grieving ten-year-old girl who imagines herself as a hard-boiled detective reopening the “cold case” of her missing mother. As fantasy and reality begin to blur, her grandfather—cast in her mind as a weary police chief—must decide whether to pull her back to reality or join her in the game. Using noir imagery as an emotional language, A Case for Coping explores how imagination can become a necessary tool for navigating loss.

Shot entirely in Chicago, the film features an all-black cast, including two child actors, and was produced with a deeply collaborative and diverse crew. The project blends grounded performances with stylized visual storytelling, favoring emotional honesty over spectacle.

“Imagination is often treated as something we grow out of,” said Bechtold. “This film came from watching how quickly we ask children to prepare for the future, while may adults struggle with the present and wish to regain their past.”

A Case for Coping will screen at SF IndieFest on February 9, 2026, at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.

Official Festival Listing:
https://sfindie2026.eventive.org/films/69455953884435b2c27d0033

Venue Listing:
https://roxie.com/film/sf-indiefest-before-the-call-a-case-for-coping/

For more information about the film, visit www.acaseforcoping.com

Press Contact:
Hot Four Productions
Contact@HotFourProductions.com