Gravitas Ventures has acquired the North American distribution rights to Paper Tiger, written and directed by Paul Kowalski. The drama/thriller film will be released on VOD/digital on August 24.

Starring Lydia Look, Alan Trong and Elaine Kao, Paper Tiger follows an immigrant mother who fears her mentally ill teenaged son is turning into a school shooter. The movie first debuted at Austin Film Festival in 2020 and won the audience award and a jury mention.

Seth Numrich, John Harlan Kim, Carrie Wampler and Lynn Chen round out the cast. Paper Tiger is produced by Pin-Chun Liu and Kowalski, alongside Bonnie Buckner and executive producer Michael Y Chow for XRM Media.

“In a time of growing isolation, polarization and mental health concerns around the world, I hope the film reaches audiences that can connect with and explore the type of tragedy that can result when communication shuts down,” Kowalski said.