Like Father, Like Sons

A film about the fathers we lose and the brothers we find.

“Like Father, Like Sons” is a feature film that follows three brothers who barely know each other. When their absent father dies, his last wish forces them onto a cross-country road trip together, and over those miles three strangers slowly become a family. It is funny, it is honest, and it is drawn from the real lives of the two filmmakers who wrote it.

This is a Black story, told by Black filmmakers, about something universal: what it means to be a father, what it costs to be without one, and whether a man can become a better version of himself before his time runs out. Tracy, the father, was not there for his sons. The film does not excuse that. Instead it does something braver. It lets him try, in his final act, to do right by them, and it asks the audience to sit with the messy, human truth that wanting to be better is its own kind of grace.

Why this story matters
So much of what we see about Black men and absent fathers gets reduced to a single, tired headline. We are telling the fuller, truer story: of tenderness, humor, regret, music, and the love that survives even when a parent does not know how to show it. Stories like this one shape how a culture sees itself, and how young people see what is possible for their own families. Giving these characters dignity and depth on screen is the heart of why this film deserves to exist.

The film is also rooted in community. We are producing it in Columbus, Ohio, hiring local crew, mentoring emerging Black filmmakers, and keeping the work and the opportunity close to home. Your support does not just fund a movie. It invests in artists, in jobs, and in a story that gives a new voice to families who rarely get to see themselves portrayed with this much heart.

Where the project stands
We have already produced a companion short, “Like Father,” now in post-production, which proves the tone and the vision of the feature. Our studio, Idu House, is leading the production, and the film is written and produced by Aaron Caldwell and Damon M. Smith, two of the three brothers whose lives inspired the story.

Thank you

Every gift is a vote of belief in this story, in these characters, and in the idea that it is never too late to try to be better.

Thank you for helping us bring “Like Father, Like Sons” to the screen.