Pittsburgh City Paper Spotlights Last Shot at PIFF
Last Shot was recently featured in Pittsburgh City Paper as part of its coverage of the 2026 Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival, which the paper framed as part of a broader resurgence in fiercely independent filmmaking.
Last Shot cast members Jaime Pressly & Dylan Friedman break through connnection issues through a shared passion for music
In the piece, City Paper describes Last Shot as a coming-of-age sports drama set in Nashville’s highly competitive youth basketball scene, and highlights the film’s cast, including Baron Davis, Jaime Pressly, and Michael Rapaport.
“The coming-of-age film sports drama Last Shot follows Nashville’s highly competitive youth basketball scene, and a young kid trying his best to make it and to fit in. It has a buzzy cast, including former NBA star Baron Davis, Jaime Pressly, and Michael Rapaport.”
The article also gave writer and producer Todd Friedman space to speak about the personal origins of the film and why bringing it to Pittsburgh mattered.
“Last Shot is [really] personal to me,” writer and producer Todd Friedman tells City Paper. “In reality, it’s a cathartic, semi-autobiographical story that I wrote about the relationship between myself and my older son, who, at the time, was a club basketball standout. I know Pittsburgh is an ultra-passionate sports town, and we wanted to share Last Shot with audiences who were passionate about the subject matter.”
Last Shot’s Dylan Friedman plays Caden, a boy on a journey to redemption & healing
Beyond the film itself, the coverage also underscored the importance of festivals like PIFF for independent filmmakers working to connect original films with real audiences.
“However, films like Obsession are still unicorns,” Friedman says. “It is a tough business. That is why I cannot stress the importance of film festivals like PIFF when it comes to showcasing your [indie] film and trying to get eyes on it.”
For Hemlock Circle, the article is a meaningful press win on two levels: it positions Last Shot within a larger national conversation about the return of indie film, and it reinforces the film’s identity as both a sports story and an emotionally grounded family drama.
