Patten has projects including Joel Gretsch’s ‘Start Without Me’ starring Finn Wittrock, and his own directorial debut ‘The Iron Door’.
TBK Productions had a profitable Cannes market, according to founder and producer Garrett Patten.
“We’ve had some great meetings, and both of the projects I have here right now are finding homes,” said Patten, speaking at a cocktail event in Cannes on Wednesday, May 20, with Screen International as media partner.
US production and sales firm TBK Productions has presented two completed titles on the Croisette. Joel Gretsch’s Thanksgiving road trip drama Start Without Me stars Finn Wittrock and Rita Wilson, while TBK also has the thriller The Iron Door, directed by Patten and starring Casey Deidrick, who was present at the Cannes event.
Patten teased “some big announcements coming in the next few weeks” of new TBK projects, including one about a US rock band – “probably the biggest rock band out there” – told through the eyes of children, and another biopic about an iconic sports figure.
Acknowledging that the independent filmmaking space is always demanding, Patten said it is “the first domino” to fall that gets a project moving. “You’ve got to have such a passion for each of those projects that you just can’t quit,” said Patten, who was attending Cannes for the fifth time.
“Whether you get a big name attached to it, or you get another financier that brings the first cheque in – once you get that domino, you’ve just got to keep pushing. Independent filmmaking is incredibly challenging but when you get to the end of it, it’s one of the most gratifying things you can do.”
The Iron Door is Patten’s feature directorial debut. He previously directed the 2026 short Self Custody, based on the true story of a man trying to regain access to his lost Bitcoin code, for TBK.
“We’re in the works of taking Self Custody right now and making it a major TV show about the Bitcoin community and how it’s challenging financial institutions throughout the world,” said Patten, who noted that cryptocurrency is now the primary transactional form in some countries. “That’s a trend that we may see continue.”
TBK Productions will be working more in the true-story space, its founder said. “What I find myself gravitating towards is real stories, true stories,” said Patten. “I like telling stories I think are fascinating, that people can relate to.”
Held at The Members’ Club beach venue in Cannes, attendees at the event included US actress Tara Reid and Irish pop stars John and Edward Grimes, otherwise known as Jedward.
