“This film came out of my lived experience with bipolar disorder,” said Queens-born comedian Matt Pavich, named New York’s Funniest at the New York Comedy Festival, whose debut comedy special Wednesdays @ Bellevue hit #1 on Apple Music’s comedy charts. “Rather than wither in shame, I chose to take my power back by finding humor in the absurdity.  I don’t know how healthy it is—but making it funny has always been how I cope”

Director Nick von Gremp, added, “We’d talked about collaborating for years, but could never land on an idea that felt right. Then I saw him onstage telling these wild stories about living with bipolar disorder and his time in the psych ward. I went home that night and used a handful of his jokes as the starting point for an outline—what eventually became the script for Good Not Great.”

The film is produced by Rachel Barclay and Julie Deffet of Brooklyn-based Mae Productions, a female-led company dedicated to amplifying bold, socially resonant storytelling. 

“We back stories that challenge stigma through messy, lived experience,” said Deffet, a Belgian filmmaker whose work has screened at Cinequest, Prague International Film Festival, and Tallinn Black Nights. 

Barclay, a former film programmer for TIFF and Whistler Film Festival, added, “This is a New York story through and through, shaped by the city’s comedy scene. It’s unflinching, fearless and very funny.” 

GOOD NOT GREAT is currently on the festival circuit and serves as a proof of concept for a larger episodic project in development.

Buy Tickets Here: https://danceswithfilms.com/good-not-great/

Screening: January 17, 2026 | 2:45 PM
Festival: Dances With Films New York
Runtime: 22 minutes | Digital | English

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