Rob Rice is a filmmaker from western Massachusetts, based in LA.
He did an MFA at CalArts and, before changing careers, worked as a CRISPR engineer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
His seconds feature, Ponderosa (Tribeca 2026), stars Jack Dylan Grazer, Alexis Bledel and Bill Camp.
His feature debut, Way Out Ahead of Us,
was produced by Matt Porterfield and premiered at the 2022 FIDMarseille before going on to screen at RIDM, UNDERDOX, Black Canvas, São Paulo and many others.
His recent work as a producer includes Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (Cannes 2024, starring Michael Cera, Greg Turkington, and Francesca Scorsese), Lucy Kerr’s Family Portrait (Locarno 2023, co-writer, co-producer), and the debut feature from Advik Beni. In 2023, he also AD’d Room Temperature, the new film from Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley.
PONDEROSA
TRIBECA U.S. NARRATIVE COMPETITION 2026
STARRING JACK DYLAN GRAZER, ALEXIS BLEDEL AND BILL CAMP.
Written and Directed by Rob Rice
Produced by Megan Pickrell and Matt Porterfield
EP Jeremy Garnder, Declan Morgan, Kristal Grueveski, Steve Holmgren, Eugene Sun Park, Jason Matsumoto
DP Barton Cortright
PD Madeline Sadowski
EDIT Mina Kim Fitzpatrick
SOUND Arjun G. Sheth
MUSIC Curtis Green
POSTER Version Industries
Contact: ponderosa@42west.com
ARE.NA
...is a terrifying bunuelian comedy about ideological reproduction and some cathartic ways to sabotage it. When the buffet where Zeke’s mom works closes down, he’s forced to entertain the advances of a rich regular who seems strangely set on becoming his dad.
