Grasshopper Partners with Adam McKay for New Documentary ‘You Need This’
EXCLUSIVE: Grasshopper Film has secured the North American Non-Theatrical and Digital distribution rights for the feature documentary film You Need This. The documentary is produced by Adam McKay’s Yellow Dot, Hôtel Motion Pictures, and Scenery. Directed by Ryan Andrej Lough, You Need This has made appearances on the global festival circuit.
In You Need This, Lough and McKay explore consumer capitalism and its profound impact on values, identities, and aspirations. They argue that beyond being merely an economic system, consumerism has become a pervasive belief structure that distorts societal definitions of success, undermines interpersonal connections, and contributes to environmental degradation. Featuring insights from economists, dream researchers, and social psychologists, the film reveals how the relentless pursuit of productivity and material wealth deprives individuals of crucial time for reflection, connection, and self-awareness.
Lough expressed confidence in the partnership with Grasshopper Film, stating that the film is debuting at a critical time when there is a pressing need to examine societal structures and collaboratively envision alternative futures.
McKay described the documentary as “a provocative and acerbically satirical dive into the interrelation of our dangerously flawed social, economic, and political structures,” emphasizing the importance of initiating these vital conversations.
Production team members include Lough and McKay alongside Cecilia Butler, Isidoor Roebers, and Tyler Owen. Executive producers include Staci Roberts-Steele, Benjamin Rednour, and Heather Mitchell.
The distribution deal was negotiated by Grasshopper’s Ryan Krivoshey, working with Natalie Locke and Chris Perez of Donaldson Callif Perez on behalf of the filmmakers.
