Wright State grad Nicole Riegel to give talk after screening her new film at The Neon

Wright State motion pictures alum Nicole Riegel wrote and directed “Dandelion,” which will run at The Neon July 19–25.

Wright State University motion pictures alum Nicole Riegel will participate in a Q&A with moviegoers following a special screening of her new film, “Dandelion,” at The Neon on Friday, July 19.

The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. at The Neon, 130 E. 5th St. downtown Dayton. Tickets for the July 19 screening are available at neonmovies.com/movie/dandelion.

The Neon will show “Dandelion” July 19–25.

Riegel wrote and directed the film, which tells the story of Dandelion, a struggling singer-songwriter from Cincinnati who accepts a last-ditch-effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota, where she meets Casey, a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s nomadic group of struggling musicians, they make music together and strike up a whirlwind romance. The experience moves Dandelion from a narrow view of success to a deeper appreciation of her artistic journey and the discovery of a voice that is her own.

The film stars KiKi Layne, who previously appeared in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Don’t Worry Darling” and “Native Son.” Aaron and Bryce Dessner, who play in The National, wrote the original music and score for the film.

“Dandelion” premiered at the South by Southwest Film and TV Festival in March and is distributed by IFC Films, which acquired its worldwide rights.

Riegel’s debut film, “Holler,” was named one of the Top 10 Independent Films of 2021 by the National Board of Review.

Riegel grew up in Jackson, Ohio, and served in the Army National Guard following high school.

She graduated from Wright State in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures and Master of Fine Arts in Writing from the University of California-Los Angeles.