Brooklyn, New York – (November, 2025) – Open Swim embarks on its first feature film documentary, “The Aftereffect,” set to release in 2026.
Directed by Bradley J. Ross, Executive Produced by Amyliz Pera, and produced by department heads Kyle Porter and Stefan Wiesen, the film explores the extraordinary and similar experiences people have in the throes of death. Countless individuals report remarkably similar events, and when they return, they are never the same. This hidden frontier provides insight into survival, second chances, the boundaries of human experience and what lies beyond.
Founder of Open Swim, Bradley J. Ross brings extensive experience across a wide variety of projects. He edited and co-produced the Oscar-nominated, Emmy Award-winning documentary “Cartel Land,” an unprecedented exposé of Mexican vigilante groups and drug cartels. Ross also edited and produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary “Escape Fire.” His scripted work includes Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Kindergarten Teacher,” which won a Sundance Grand Jury Prize. He also produced “Centigrade,” shot in an ice cream freezer during a New York City heat-wave. His most recent release via Open Swim is “I’ll Be Right There,” starring Edie Falco and a star-studded cast.
“Near Death Experiencers, like the people in our film, expand on our existence as a human species,” shares Ross. “ It’s been fascinating spending time with these individuals who all seem to have a sixth sense for what the purpose of all of this is. The information is so compelling that it was very hard finding a skeptic. But we did.”
“It’s exciting to apply our Open Swim model to this feature documentary, and work together as a collective,” shares Executive Producer Amyliz Pera. “We’re bringing a wildly varied skillset to the process. We’re not beholden to anyone, and we can have fun bending the genre. Bradley has a remarkable ability to synthesize ideas, welcoming the team’s input so that a wide range of perspectives can influence the evolving vision of the film.”
