This neo-noir meets Spaghetti Western crime drama pushes the boundaries of style and takes the viewers on a thrilling ride into the story of Jo Lee Haywood - a single mother and neighborhood bar owner who spent years trying to escape her violent past. But when a local mobster and his gang of thugs come knocking on her door, Jo is forced to embrace her inner demons and confront her deadly history in order to protect her family and property. Still waters run deep in this stylistic, neo-noir crime saga.

From Script to Screen

Soon after completing his award-winning short film, Prego; writer, director, and producer Usher Morgan teamed up with cinematographer Louis Obioha and actors Elyse Price, Katie Vincent, and Joel Bernard to bring to life an exciting new feature film, entitled "Pickings."

Principal photography for Pickings began in March of 2016 under a shooting budget of $350,000. The film was shot in Yonkers, New York City, Southampton Village, and Staten Island for a total of 35 days over the course of a year, post production continued until November of 2017.

Upon completion of principal photography, Usher Morgan turned to his frequent collaborator, Katie Vincent, to write, compose, and perform many of the film's original songs. Dark Passage Films will handle the release and distribution of the film, as well as the film's original soundtrack.

Pickings was released to select AMC theaters via Dark Passage Films and Digital Magic Entertainment.