Penny Lane and John C. Reilly Board Documentary Short Stalin Boys
The two join as executive producers on Ora DeKornfeld and Bianca Giaever's film about a Texas middle schooler staging a play about Joseph Stalin.
Filmmaker Penny Lane and actor John C. Reilly have joined the short documentary Stalin Boys as executive producers, the filmmakers announced on October 21, 2026.
Directed by Ora DeKornfeld and Bianca Giaever, the film follows Malachi, a middle school student in Marathon, Texas, who writes a play about Joseph Stalin for the Texas History Day competition. It debuted on The New York Times Op-Docs this month and is eligible for the Academy Award for Documentary Short Film category.
Reilly will support the filmmakers' campaign to bring the film to classrooms and audiences nationwide. The film was produced by Alejandra Vasquez and Amplify Pictures as a Pipsqueak Productions film, with Natalie Ancona editing and Elori Saxl composing the original score.
Festival run and awards
Stalin Boys premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and, in 2026, won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Award at the SXSW Film & TV Festival. In July 2026 it took the Academy Award-qualifying Documentary Grand Prize at Indy Shorts. It screens later this month at AFI Fest in Los Angeles.
DeKornfeld previously directed the Emmy-nominated short USA v SCOTT and episodes of the Netflix series Explained, while Giaever created and hosts the podcast Constellation Prize and made the documentary series Free Help, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Quick answers
Who directed Stalin Boys?
Ora DeKornfeld and Bianca Giaever directed the short documentary.
Is Stalin Boys eligible for the Oscars?
Yes, the film is eligible for the Academy Award for Documentary Short Film category.
Where can I see Stalin Boys?
It debuted on The New York Times Op-Docs this month and screens later this month at AFI Fest in Los Angeles.