Streaming Soon
By: Victoria Stevens
New York, NY (The Hollywood Times) 04/14/2025-
It’s time to bring the 70’s back in the upcoming feature film, Beggarman. A story about a homeless Iraqi war vet named Beggarman who finds himself a second chance at life but soon realizes that the risks and challenges that come with it could be far more than anticipated.
“We paid homage to the films of the 70’s like French Connection, Mean Streets and Serpico. This film was a throwback to those gritty New York City Films we grew up with and loved. Growing up in New York City and being an actor and filmmaker myself along with Writer/Director Frankie Montero, who is a Yonkers Native, we wanted to capture the grit and hustle of the city that we knew and loved. The very thing that made us proud to be New Yorkers,” explained Head Producer Matthew Grossman.
Having grown up watching 70’s films, Writer/Director Frankie Montero, decided to create Beggarman using the same technique that those crime classics used. Having shot guerrilla style for certain scenes, the audience got to experience a certain air of intensity and grit that comes along with this type of genre.
“These types of films are so powerful and cinematic. Not always giving you what you want to see, and I defiantly think that the 70’s decade was one of the stronger decades of filmmaking. I wanted to bring this type of filmmaking back to the newer generation and bring more light to these types of films. I had to create a darker look to the film with minimal lighting, and with my DP, Michael Lines, we looked at many different screenshots of all different movies from that era. That way we could really hone in on the look of the time and Michael took what was shown and really matched the look perfectly,” said Montero.
Having a stellar cast, with Ruthless star Lenny Thomas playing Beggarman, Peter Greene from Pulp Fiction playing Vinny, and The Oval star Melissa L Williams playing the Photographer, really helped bring this upcoming classic to life.
“Many of the actors we cast in this film we had personal relationships with,” explained Grossman. “Either we had worked on a project with them, or we had mutual friends. It was fun being on the other side of the table for the first time as a producer. A learning experience for me as an actor but very much worth it.”
“There were hurdles that Matt and I had to jump over when it came to casting. We had to show the actors the previous films that we had created together, so that way they could see what we had done thus far. There were many people interested in the script for sure, so it came with a lot of meetings to really nail down a contract with the right actors for the roles. Peter Greene was very interested in the script but wanted to make sure that I had a couple of films under my belt before he would sign on. There were also some script changes that needed to happen before Jasmine Davis, who played on The Chi, would sign on as well. However, once all that came together, we had a great core cast,” expressed Montero.
Every set has its bloopers and this film had a few gems.
“We were doing a scene with Peter and Lenny, and actors don’t like line readings too much, but there was a specific way I wanted the lines said. I was telling Peter how I wanted the line done, and he didn’t know I was on the monitor. There was the lighting and flags blocking his view and he goes and gives me the finger. We both started laughing when he realized I saw what he did. He is such a good sport,” said Montero.
“Another story was when we shot on the subway, we needed it to be dark. It was in the middle of the morning rush hour, and all the crew members decided to take their jackets off and started covering up the windows on the train. It was a sight to see,” conveyed Montero.
“Another funny story I can remember was based on the suitcase we used in this film. It was Frankie’s uncle’s mother’s suitcase from the 50’s. It was dry and old, and after using it in many scenes it broke. There was only one of these suitcases, we didn’t have any backup. So, there is a picture of me, in the middle of the night in the basement of a church, and I am sewing the seams of this suitcase back together again”, expressed Grossman.
Beggarman premiered at the 23rd annual Garden State Film Festival with a huge impact for the audience.
“We were known as one of the most anticipated films at the festival,” explained Montero. “There were many fans of Lenny’s who came to support as well as other excited audience goers. The ovation that we received at the end, as well as seeing everyone fully engaged; was what the movie experience was all about. I shot this film to be shown on a big screen, so I wanted to make sure that the audience got the full experience. Many asked when Beggarman 2 was coming out, which made me grateful for this journey.”
“We really battled through this film. Six months pre pro, we shot for 19 days, and then six months of post. We watched it on TV screens in our house, but to see it on the big screen there was nothing like it. I must admit, it was emotional at the end because to experience the film with an audience brings the story to another level for the film artists. There is magic in there, and there is nothing like going to the theater. The energy and vibe of the audience, brings this story to a new light,” shared Grossman.
Beggarman has secured distribution with Buffalo 8 and will be streaming soon. Please keep following the film’s social media for future updates.
Frankie Montero (@frankiemontero) • Instagram photos and videos
Matt Grossman: https://www.facebook.com/share/18u1f3g7Fi/?mibextid=wwXIfr
