Momentum Pictures announced today that THE INSTITUTE will be released on March 3, 2017, in theaters and on VOD. THE INSTITUTE is the third collaboration between co-directors James Franco and Pamela Romanowsky. Produced by James Franco, Vince Jolivette, Jay Davis, Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman, and Scott Reed, the film is a production of Rabbit Bandini Productions.

Set in 19th century Baltimore, THE INSTITUTE tells the story of Isabel Porter (Allie Gallerani), who, stricken with grief from her parents’ untimely death, voluntarily checks herself into the Rosewood Institute. Subjected to bizarre and increasingly violent pseudo-scientific experiments in personality modification, brainwashing, and mind control, she must escape the clutches of Rosewood and exact her revenge, or else be forever lost.

In addition to Gallerani, the film stars Franco, Joe Pease, Scott Haze, Lori Singer, Tim Blake Nelson, and Josh Duhamel. Franco previously starred in the Pamela Romanowsky-helmed THE ADDERALL DIARIES after they were classmates at New York University’s film school, as well as a short film directed by her entitled TAR. In addition to holding her MFA in directing from NYU, Romanosky is an alumna of The Sundance Institute’s Screenwriting, Directing, and Composition & Sound labs, and the Creative Producing Summit, and she is also a current fellow with Sundance’s Female Filmmaker Initiative.

“I like to find people who I can collaborate with where we can balance out our own experiences, be it behind the camera, in front, or in a world outside of filmmaking where we can bring academia and real events into frame,” says Franco. “I’ve been fortunate to work with Pamela on various projects over the years and felt a great relief leaving this story in her hands.”