All The Latest On The JASON MOLINA DOCUMENTARY
NEWS!
ATTENDING THREE RIVERS FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT
MAHD HOUSE BAR TALK - LONG FORMAT PODCAST
INSIDER INTERVIEW WITH REDACTED BLOG IN L.A.
STATIC & DISTANCE ANNOUNCES FILM TO JASON’S FANBASE
November 12, 2025
Tommy Nickoloff attended opening night for the Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh Pennylvania. The screening for “Horsegirls” was an incredible start to the festival, and as always, Q & A sessions with the filmmakers and cast are THE BEST! More on this in the blog section.
Check out what is yet to come at Pittsburghs longest running film festival!
https://filmpittsburgh.org/pages/three-rivers-film-festival
November 6, 2025
Jimmy Tucker, the host of MADH House Bar Talk, sits down with Tommy Nickoloff, producer and director of You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story for a 2 1/2 conversation at full throttle!
The Jason Molina documentary is Tommy’s debut film. Jason, Jimmy, and Tommy were all born and raised in Lorain, Ohio - and they don’t hold back. Listen in on what it was like growing up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s — the same schools, the same mix of cultures, the same working-class expectations that shaped Jason, too.
They share laughs, overlapping memories, figuring life out the hard way, and losing people they cared about in this unfiltered conversation. The film explores Jason Molina’s early life and legacy, but it’s also about Lorain and the people who came up there. Part origin story, part love letter, it shows sides of Jason that rarely get discussed: the funny, the restless, the sharp, the deeply human. PLUS: a sneak peek of the soon-to-premiere trailer.
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPJY2T2QDag&rco=1
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/25Fgr6Almtm128h346ot8i?si=_1liBJ-iSTCOZbRN8T2nEQ
September 22, 2025
[REDACTED] hosts Shelby and Piper talk with Tommy Nickoloff, the documentarian behind You Fuckers Figure It Out, a powerful, expansive, hilarious look at the life and spirit of Jason Molina. Tommy and Jason “met on a soccer field at Admiral King High School in the Summer of 1988,” and from there, they forged a friendship that would resonate through Tommy’s life, leading him to pour his energy, time, and savings into a documentary that could authentically capture Jason’s character, wit, and heart.
In this interview, Tommy discusses his personal connection to Molina and his mission to portray a fuller, more nuanced picture of his late friend. We talk to Tommy about some of his most magical moments with Jason (including a joke with a 23-year punchline), the experience of exploring his life and career through the medium of film, the bursts of hope that kept him going through the rough patches, and what it means to be able to share who Jason truly was—the biggest goofball he’d ever met.
[REDACTED] Website: https://redactedblog.com/tommy-nickoloff-x-redacted/
August 19, 2025
The first You Fuckers Figure It Out media mention for comes from the very nucleus of the Molinaverse! Static & Distance is THE Jason Molina fan community with 3.1K+ paid subscribers, and more than 16,000 followers on Instagram alone. It is run by the record label Secretly Canadian. Nearly 13 years after Jason’s passing, his songs still draw more than 250,000 Spotify and 600,000+ Pandora listeners every month!
We are grateful for the generous comment: “this forthcoming documentary on Jason’s early years in Ohio looks like something many of you would be interested in, as of course are we ourselves.” THANK YOU S&D! We love all that you do in keeping Jason’s legacy alive and growing!
“Titled ‘You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story’, the film explores Jason’s Lake Erie roots in Lorain, OH, his early inspirations, and those who witnessed the rise of Songs: Ohia.”
Check out this issue https://substack.com/home/post/p-170376970 and follow along for all top Jason Molina news!
WILLIAM SCHAFF CREATES ART FOR THE YFFIO DOCUMENTARY!
June 17, 2025
The illustrious William Schaff https://williamschaff.com/ created artwork for the film poster. Photo credit: Thomas Heath
Will explains: “I went with the "simple/ elegant" approach. Jason, young and punk rock as Jason was. I wanted the poster to be simple, and not visually complicated as the film itself is dense already. I wanted it to be like Jason's four strings on his guitar...two less than most people would assume he had, but enough to make you wonder how he did it!”
In Will’s trademark generosity, he posted the first public notice of the film’s existence to wide acclaim: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLBXdTFsqiY/
The Film Festival Strategy for 2026 competitions is under way - and Phase 2 in the works.
Film Festivals are an apparent long shot for all films - or so I am told. Especially for an “outsider” like A Jason Molina Story. Therefore, we have been advised NOT to share where we are submitting. That seems dumb. “Failure” looms in all aspects of life. ALWAYS. But it is only real if you accept it as such.
This film is for J’s fans, after all. And it seems y’all want to know what’s going on, so…
The block of World Premiere hopefuls have been submitted. SXSW is a big swing for the fence. Less than a 1% chance allegedly. Extremely close second, and/or Midwest/ Ohio Premiere is the home town favorite: Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF). Full Frame Film Festival (Durham NC), Portland Panorama, and Columbus International Film & Animation Festival (CIF&AF) are all right up there at the top of the hit list.
Say prayers. Sacrifice small animals. Howl at the moon. Do whatever you gotta do to send some MAGIC this way, please!
If you have a festival near you that seems like a good fit for You Fuckers Figure It Out, by all means, please let us know! Especially if there is room for van camping in your driveway or front lawn.