EINPresswire/ -- The haunting Southern crime drama Nobody Wants To Be Here, Nobody Wants To Leave will celebrate its World Premiere at the 2025 Austin Film Festival on Thursday, October 23, at 9:15 PM at the Rollins Theatre at the Long Center.

Set in the rugged Appalachians in the early 2000s, the film follows Hazel (Tine Joustra), a motel owner who quietly assists troubled guests with their final acts, and Destiny (Mabel Thomas), a young stripper struggling to protect her ailing grandmother. Their paths cross with Juice (Keenan Pasqua), a drug-addicted club owner, and The Grocer (Brian Childers), a charming but ruthless local kingpin. When a mysterious stranger arrives, their fates intertwine in unexpected and devastating ways.

The feature debut of writer-director Cash Robinson, Nobody Wants To Be Here, Nobody Wants To Leave was inspired by deeply personal loss. Robinson used funds from a settlement after his mother’s tragic death to make the film, channeling that pain into a work that examines hardship, morality, and grace. “If my mom wanted anything for me, it was to believe in myself,” Robinson says. “At the end of the day, there were far less meaningful ways to use that money. Creating something that might reach people felt like the best thing I could do.”

Written by Caleb Samples, whose North Georgia roots shape the film’s voice, and produced by Dr. Nate Kohn (Roger Ebert’s Film Festival) and Feike Santbergen, the film avoids stereotypes of Appalachian life, revealing instead a community marked by resilience and humanity. “People don’t need another film reminding them that life can be unbearable,” says Robinson. “What they need is something honest about the world—and a reminder that love and connection persist, even in the dark.”

The early-2000s setting captures the haunting timelessness of small-town America. “A lot of Appalachian towns look the same across decades,” Robinson explains. “We wanted that atmosphere of decay and beauty, flip phones, neon lights, old signage. It’s just cooler on camera.”

Robinson worked closely with his Georgia-based cast to ensure authenticity. “Since Tine came from the Netherlands, we made Hazel an immigrant who had lived in Blue Ridge for some time. The rest of the cast understood immediately that we wanted something real and lived-in, like a southern gothic fable,” he says.

Reflecting on the film’s title, Robinson shares, “It’s from The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a favorite of both Caleb and myself. After seeing the film, it speaks for itself.” He hopes audiences leave thinking differently about life and loss: “Maybe they’ll think more deeply about suicide, morality, and nihilism—or take a cue from Anton and just dance it all away.”

Nobody Wants To Be Here, Nobody Wants To Leave screens again on October 28 at 9:45 PM at the Galaxy Theatre 7, and will also play the New Orleans Film Festival on October 26 at 8:00 PM at the Prytania Theatres at Canal Place. Robinson, Samples, and Kohn will attend and are available for interviews.

The film is represented for international sales by Alan Byron of Screenbound Pictures Ltd.

*Members of the media interested in reviewing the film or interviewing the filmmakers may request a screener by emailing Amanda Abelita, Abelita PR, at ...

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This film contains themes of suicide, substance abuse, and violence. Viewer discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the U.S., dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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