Who We Are
BUILT ON REFUSAL
We started Armed and Dangerous Pictures because the films we wanted to see weren't getting made. So we made them ourselves.
Armed and Dangerous Pictures was founded in 2018 by a group of filmmakers who were tired of waiting for permission. We had stories. We had cameras. We had nothing to lose.
Our first film was shot in 11 days on a borrowed camera and a credit card. It screened at Tribeca. That told us everything we needed to know about what independent cinema could still do.
Since then we've produced 14 films across narrative, documentary, and experimental formats. We've screened at Sundance, SXSW, Rotterdam, and Tribeca. We've won jury awards and we've been ignored. Both feel about the same.
We greenlight fast and shoot faster. If a project sits in development for more than six months, we kill it.
The director's vision is the film. Producers serve the story, not the other way around.
We've never made a film over $500K. Constraints are creative tools. We use them.
We don't make films about things that are easy to talk about. We make films about the things people avoid.
MARCUS COLE
Founder / Director
Marcus has directed six features and three documentaries. His work has screened at Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca. He grew up in Detroit and has never left it behind.
DIANA REYES
Producer / Head of Development
Diana has produced every Armed and Dangerous film since 2019. Before that she spent five years in the studio system and hated every minute of it. She doesn't miss it.
JOEL PARK
Director of Photography
Joel shoots everything on film when the budget allows and digital when it doesn't. He believes the best cinematography is invisible. His work proves it.
We are not a studio. We are not a collective. We are people who make films because we have no other choice.