Leesa Rowland executive produces film 'Sunday Sauce' starring Cathy Moriarty, heading to multiple festivals

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Actress, philanthropist, and producer Leesa Rowland is bringing her creative eye and social impact values to the silver screen with Sunday Sauce, the comedic short film she executive produced alongside director and writer Matt Campanella. The film has been on a winning streak, securing official selections at three prominent festivals, including its highly anticipated New York City premiere at NewFest on Saturday, October 11th, 2025, at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park.

Rowland, known to many as the founder of the nonprofit Animal Ashram, has long balanced her advocacy for compassion and cruelty-free living with her passion for the arts. Her role as executive producer on Sunday Sauce highlights her deep commitment to supporting original storytelling in film.

Sunday Sauce is a comedic short that blends family dynamics, humor, and food culture into a bite-sized cinematic experience. Directed by Campanella, the film features Academy Award–nominated actress Cathy Moriarty, who brings her trademark wit and warmth to the role of a matriarch presiding over a Sunday family meal that goes hilariously off script. In a recent feature in Deadline Hollywood, Campanella described the project as “an homage to family traditions and the way food connects us, but also a chance to poke fun at the chaos that can come with those gatherings.”

For Rowland, the project was about more than just laughs: “I was drawn to Sunday Sauce because it is heartfelt, funny, and universal,” she said. “It celebrates human connection in a way that is authentic, and it was a joy to support Matt’s vision.”

The film’s festival journey has already brought it to audiences beyond New York. It screened at Out on Film Atlanta in the Queerly Hilarious: Comedy Shorts program on September 27, 2025, at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, and will be featured at Hollywood Queer Shorts in Los Angeles on October 5, 2025. These screenings, paired with the upcoming NewFest premiere, position the short for broader recognition on the independent film circuit.

The NewFest premiere of Sunday Sauce is part of the festival’s Food, Glorious Food program, showcasing films that explore food as a cultural and emotional touchstone. The screening will take place at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 11th, 2025, at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

Tickets go on sale September 15th at newfest.org.

Following the premiere, cast, crew, and supporters will gather nearby for a celebratory reception, marking the film’s arrival on its “home turf.”

About Leesa Rowland:
The daughter of an artist and college professor, Leesa Rowland grew up in Austin, Texas where she studied broadcast journalism and later became a classically trained actress at the world-renowned Stella Adler Studio in Los Angeles.

Beyond her extensive career and credits as a film and television actress, she is also well-known for her work as a philanthropist and animal rights activist. A vegan dedicated to healthy eating, she has been active with the national non-profit organization Last Chance for Animals since 1989 and is the president of the New York non-profit group Animal Ashram, which she founded in 2013.

As she continues to develop her work as a philanthropist and involvement with these and other charities while exploring new dramatic roles, Leesa recently began adding something else exciting to her sizzle reel: comedienne. A lifelong sitcom fan, she has been taking comedy classes with Richard Kline - the actor best known as Larry on the late-1970s classic Three’s Company - in Los Angeles. She has also been studying improv and sketch comedy in New York at the famed Upright Citizen’s Brigade whose alumni include Amy Poehler, Horatio Sands, Matt Besser, Matt Walsh and Ian McKay.

For more information, visit leesarowland.net.

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