IFC Films will release the SXSW award-winning documentary Bad Axe, directed by David Siev, making his debut feature.

Returning home to rural Michigan, Siev captures an astonishing, personal look at his Asian-American family’s quest to keep their local staple restaurant and American dream alive, amidst the backdrop of pandemic and Trump-era political and racial tensions. Captured with arresting intimacy, the film is a stunning portrait of a family, a community, a nation and a world – and testament to those who are there for you when all else fades away.

Bad Axe celebrated its world premiere at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and received Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling in the Documentary Feature Competition.

David Siev, director of Bad Axe said “This is a deeply personal project and I’m grateful for IFC Films’ passion for my vision and the way that they have embraced my family and our story. IFC’s commitment to independent, director-driven films shines through in all of their acquisitions. I’m honored for BAD AXE to join their extraordinary slate.”