Following its theatrical run beginning Valentine’s Day Carter Ward’s debut STEP BACK, DOORS CLOSING debuts on all VOD platforms in the US/Canada Tues. March 17
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, February 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Following its theatrical run beginning Valentine’s Day Weekend and concluding today, filmmaker Carter Ward’s debut feature STEP BACK, DOORS CLOSING will debut on all major VOD platforms in the US and Canada Tuesday, March 17. Distribution is led by Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group. Check out Carter’s interview on WUSA-TV here.
STEP BACK, DOORS CLOSING is a charmingly universal love story about two young adults who long for an authentic relationship. Ryan is witty, down-to-earth, and newly single for the first time in four years, while Julisa has lots of self-imposed pressure and is considering dropping out of grad school. After their failed nights out end in chance encounter on the D.C. metro, Ryan and Julisa spend the next 24 hours discussing their hopes, dreams, and fears. They initially present curated versions of themselves, but as they slowly reveal more, their armor chips away and they fall in love.
The film had its World Premiere at Dances With Films: Los Angeles in 2024, before continuing on to the Catalina Film Festival, Chandler International Film Festival, and Omaha Film Festival. It continues to hold 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critic Sabina Dana Plasse at Film Threat saying, “Step Back, Doors Closing is sweet and leaves one hopeful about people and an upcoming generation who knows what’s what.” Lead actors Carmen Berkeley and Reilly Walters’ performances have been especially lauded, with Berkeley winning the Best Actress in a U.S. Feature Award at the Catalina Film Festival. Richard Propes at The Independent Critic echoes this sentiment, saying, “From its opening moments…you can’t help but fall in love with the film’s co-leads.”
STEP BACK, DOORS CLOSING is a true love letter to D.C., where Ward was born (and raised nearby in Maryland), with a deep consideration of its geography, culture, and people that counteracts the usual stereotypes of political corruption and scandal. Ward discovered his passion for film and storytelling while working as an assistant on several short and feature films in New York City. After moving to Los Angeles, he founded the production company Arden Pictures, which aims to produce character-driven projects that explore all aspects of the human condition. This is the debut project from Arden Pictures.
For Ward, art is an important vehicle for reflection in an increasingly complicated world. He says, “It’s crazy to think back on, but this film’s journey started almost a decade ago. In my head, I was writing something simple. Two people walking and talking. What I didn’t realize was how ambitious it was to have two people walking and talking in Washington, DC. Combine that with a global pandemic, and the fact that I never directed or produced before, it’s nothing short of a miracle we reached the finish line, but we did! And the fact that we’re getting a theatrical release… I couldn’t be more thankful. I don’t take any of this for granted.”
The film was written and directed by Ward, produced by Kathryn Crabtree and Jane Hollon alongside Ward, and executive produced by C. Maury Devine. JWJ Ferguson served as director of photography, Sofia Wong as production designer, Gordon Antell as editor, Taylor Gray Burke and Phoenix Stelle as costume designers, Paloma Estevez as composer, Natalie Clark as music supervisor, and Matthew Glasner as casting director. It stars Carmen Berkeley and Reilly Walters, with Michelle Macedo, Ashley Romans, and Mershad Torabi in supporting roles.
STEP BACK, DOORS CLOSING was acquired by Freestyle Digital Media out of its screening at Dances with Films: New York in a deal brokered by Freestyle’s Senior Manager of Acquisitions Clayton Schiebel with the Law Office of Lawrence I. Weinberg on behalf of Arden Pictures.
ABOUT FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA
The digital distribution unit of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, satellite, digital, and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record, and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films. Recent releases include ALLSWELL IN NEW YORK starring Emmy award-winning actress Liza Colón-Zayas from the hit FX series THE BEAR, ALL HAPPY FAMILIES starring Josh Radnor and Rob Huebel, the drama based on a novel THE GHOST TRAP starring Zak Steiner from EUPHORIA and Greer Grammer of AWKWARD, and the Weekly World News horror-comedy THE ZOMBIE WEDDING. Other Freestyle Digital Media titles include THE ROAD DOG starring comedian Doug Stanhope, SURVIVE starring HBO’s GAME OF THRONES star Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, the music documentary profiling blues guitar legends Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan, BROTHERS IN BLUES, DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink from the hit Netflix series STRANGER THINGS, Jessica Capshaw and Theo Rossi, the teen musical BEST SUMMER EVER featuring a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen, and Ted Danson, and THE WEDDING YEAR starring Sarah Hyland and Anna Camp.
Press resources are available here, trailer here, and advance screeners are available for media on request. https://stepbackdoorsclosing.com
Henry Eshelman
PMG
+1 323-337-9042
heshelman@platformgrp.com
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