‘The Drug in Our Pocket’ Lands Distribution Deal Ahead of Hamptons Film Festival World Premiere

Anne Sundberg’s timely documentary examines what constant smartphone use is doing to childhood, attention and mental health. Its two Hamptons Film Festival screenings are sold out — and the film has already landed a North American distribution deal.

There’s a reason Anne Sundberg’s new documentary is called The Drug in Our Pocket. You probably have yours within arm’s reach right now.

The film takes on one of the most timely — and increasingly unavoidable — questions facing parents, kids and, really, all of us: What is constant smartphone use doing to our attention, our relationships and our mental health?

And before The Drug in Our Pocket even makes its world premiere Saturday at the Hamptons International Film Festival, it has landed a North American distribution deal.

Obscured Releasing has acquired North American rights to the documentary, as first reported by Deadline. The film is expected to receive an Oscar-qualifying run this fall, followed by a limited theatrical release in early 2027.

A Hot Ticket in the Hamptons

If you already have a ticket to one of the film’s two HIFF screenings, hang onto it.

Both screenings are listed as sold out on the film’s Instagram account. HIFF’s festival page notes that tickets, when available, may also be sold at the box office. The world premiere is Saturday, Oct. 3, at noon, followed by a second screening Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2:45 p.m., both at East Hampton Regal UA. Q&As are expected after both screenings.

Sundberg and producer Beth Kojima are expected to attend, with a post-screening lineup that includes experts, activists and young people working at the intersection of technology, attention and mental health.

What Is the Phone in Our Pocket Doing to Us?

The 77-minute documentary looks particularly at the effects of smartphones on children and adolescents, combining conversations with young people and parents with perspectives from experts and tech whistleblowers.

It is not simply about screen time. The film digs into the way digital technology can shape attention, emotions, behavior and even a young person’s developing sense of self. The filmmakers frame the larger question this way: How much of our attention have we handed over to the devices we carry everywhere — and how do we get some of it back?

The subject arrives at a particularly relevant moment, as schools, lawmakers and parents grapple with how much access children should have to smartphones and social media.

Some Familiar Names Behind the Film

There is also considerable firepower behind the documentary.

Sundberg, whose previous films include Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, The Trials of Darryl Hunt and Reversing Roe, directed the film and produced it with Kojima.

The lengthy roster of executive producers includes Jenna Bush Hager, Ashley Graham, Crystal McCrary McGuire, Lizzie Tisch and Jonathan Tisch, among others.

Sundberg said the filmmakers hope the documentary can become more than an account of what it is like for young people to grow up online. In announcing the distribution deal, she described a larger goal of getting people to “pay attention to our attention.”

Following its Hamptons world premiere, The Drug in Our Pocket heads to the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis and the Newport Beach Film Festival in Southern California.

IF YOU GO

The Drug in Our Pocket — World Premiere

Saturday, Oct. 3, noon
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2:45 p.m.
East Hampton Regal UA

Both festival screenings are currently sold out, according to the film’s Instagram account. HIFF notes that tickets, if available, may also be offered at the box office. Q&As are expected following both screenings.

Hamptons International Film Festival film listing

Source: The distribution acquisition was first reported by Deadline.

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .