A nuanced portrayal of immigration, friendship, and LGBTQIA+ experiences, THE COMPATRIOTS follows Javi (Rafael Silva), an undocumented immigrant facing deportation, who unexpectedly reunites with his estranged best friend Hunter (Denis Shepherd), a vivacious bachelor seeking deeper connections. Together, they embark on a heartfelt journey to prevent Javi’s expulsion from the only country he has ever called home. THE COMPATRIOTS offers audiences an intimate look at the personal struggles faced by undocumented immigrants, particularly those who arrived as children and face deportation to countries they don’t remember, and was inspired by Cohen’s best friend Alberto Sayan, a Dreamer from Peru whom Cohen met during middle school in Natick, MA.
WHO
Starring: Rafael Silva (Don’t Look Up) and Denis Shepherd (Paradise Lost) alongside Dakota Lustick (Dexter: New Blood, The Holdovers), Caroline Portu (Love, Weddings & Other Disasters), Jaison Hunter (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), and Brandon Grimes (PansyVision).
Directed and written by: Spencer Cohen
Producers: Jennifer Potts and Alberto Sayan.
Spencer Cohen is an award-winning filmmaker who illuminates untold stories with a distinct combination of humor and heart. His hands-on experience across the film industry, from cue card holder for Eric Roberts to a gravedigger in a zombie movie, and as a feature film editor and producer, has shaped his comprehensive approach to storytelling. His debut feature, “The Compatriots,” has earned significant recognition on the festival circuit. It premiered at the Woods Hole Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and securing Spencer the Emerging New England Filmmaker award. The film also won Best LGBTQ Feature at the Poppy Jasper Film Festival, Best Narrative Feature at the San Antonio Film Festival and has been showcased at festivals in Maui, Ojai, Chelsea, and Fort Lauderdale.
ABOUT BLUE HARBOR ENTERTAINMENT
Blue Harbor Entertainment is a boutique distributor of independent films designed for the business needs of today’s filmmakers and provides a comprehensive and full-scale distribution and marketing solution covering theatrical releases, home entertainment, transactional and subscription digital streaming platforms, and television. Established in 2023 by industry veterans Amanda Sherwin, Mike Messina and Seth Needle, and with a combined experience spanning hundreds of films over multiple decades, Blue Harbor was conceived as a much-needed alternative in today’s challenging U.S. distribution environment with a structure that empowers filmmakers. Recent releases include the the sci-fi mystery Star People, the award-winning untold story of Dr. Audrey Evans, Audrey’s Children, starring Natalie Dormer, A Nice Indian Boy, starring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff, which became one of the highest-grossing English-language film in limited release in 2025, and Lilly, the powerful story of equal pay activist Lilly Ledbetter starring Patricia Clarkson. Other notable releases include the cannabis horror/thriller Trim Season, starring Bethlehem Million (Sick) and Jane Badler (V), director Olivia Kuan’s award-winning documentary The Herricanes about The Houston Herricanes, a team that was part of the groundbreaking first women’s full tackle football league of the 1970s, and writer/director Zia Mohajerjasbi’s award-winning film Know Your Place, a story about change and loss set amidst the landscape of a transforming Seattle as seen by a young Eritrean-American boy.
WHERE
Heartfelt comedy will be released digitally starting in the US and Canada on September 16 followed by an international rollout.
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