Choo, choo.
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, the filmmakers behind Netflix’s Oscar-nominated drama Train Dreams, have signed a first-look deal with the streamer.
The duo, via their production banner Ethos, will develop and produce features for Netflix. The filmmakers work together in a way that sees them co-write their projects and then alternate among themselves on who sits in the director’s seat. Train Dreams, for example, was helmed by Bentley while Kwedar took on their previous effort, 2023’s Sing Sing.
But, harkening to the indie roots of the filmmakers, there is a creative spin to the proceedings.
Bentley and Kwedar will also develop a slate with up-and-coming filmmakers selected from the world’s top festivals and film schools. Netflix will fund the development and production of these low-budget films, and release them.
The two filmmakers, now along with Netflix, have made it a focus to discover new voices and to make what are considered high-risk titles in the indie space, which has seen many traditional modes of financing and distribution collapse since the days of Covid.
Ethos, which the duo launched in 2024, already operates differently from most other production companies. Its productions see everyone who works on its films, from above the line to below the line, paid the same wage. Additionally, everyone hired on their productions receives equity from its films.
Making a living in independent film is a defining tenet for the duo.
“In founding Ethos, our hope was to create a home where independent filmmakers can make bold, enduring work in an environment that is equitable and sustainable for the whole community of artists working on these films,” said Bentley and Kwedar in a statement. “We’re grateful to Netflix for their commitment to this vision and for their belief in us as artists and we’re excited for this partnership.”
Stated Sean Berney, Netflix’s head of film acquisitions, “I’ve been fortunate to cross paths with so many gifted filmmakers at festivals and markets, Clint and Greg among them. What really stood out to me when working with them, aside from their raw talent, was how genuinely invested we both are in nurturing the next wave of filmmakers and giving them a real chance to make their mark.”
Bentley and Kwedar are darlings on the festival circuit thanks to their growing body of acclaimed independently-made work. Their feature debut Transpecos premiered at SXSW where it won the audience award, while their follow-up Jockey premiered at Sundance where it won a special jury prize for best actor for Clifton Collins Jr.
Sing Sing premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win the 2024 SXSW Festival audience award while also receiving three Academy Award nominations and three Independent Spirit Awards nominations, among other accolades.
Train Dreams was a key contender this past awards season after its debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Netflix acquired it. It snagged four Independent Spirit Awards, winning three, while also earning five Oscar nominations.
The duo are currently in post on Saturn Return, a Chicago-set romance starring Charles Melton, Rachel Brosnahan and Will Poulter. Kwedar directed the feature from a script written by Gaelyn Golde with revisions by he and Bentley. The film will be released on Netflix later this year.
To handle their growing company, Bentley and Kwedar are currently looking for a creative director for Ethos to run day-to-day operations.
The duo are repped by CAA, Joanne Roberts Wiles at Black Bear, Johnson Shapiro, and Paula Woods Consultants.
