HBO Documentary Films has acquired television and streaming rights to The Slightest Touch, the new feature documentary directed by Rachel Fleit, ahead of its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival.
The film was edited by Union Editor and Partner Sloane Klevin, ACE, with Union President and Managing Partner Michael Raimondi and Union Head of Production, TV and Film, Katherine LeBlond serving as executive producers.
Featuring Colin Farrell and Epidermolysis Bullosa survivor Emma Fogarty, The Slightest Touch offers an intimate portrait of kindness, compassion and platonic love. The documentary traces a profound friendship sustained largely across distance through text messages, emails and voice notes.
The project continues Fleit’s long-standing creative partnership with Union Editorial. Early in her directing career, Fleit worked out of Union’s New York office as her career gained momentum, building close ties with the team. Klevin edited her first two short documentaries, Barbara and Stanley and Gefilte, both released on Nowness, and later cut Fleit’s debut feature, Introducing, Selma Blair, produced by LeBlond.
“That film was where Rachel’s truly unique ability to create nearly immediate intimacy with her subjects became so apparent,” Klevin said. “It’s also where we really found our rhythm working together in longform.”
Several years ago, Klevin introduced Fleit to Irish producer Eimhear O’Neill, with whom she had collaborated on Alex Gibney’s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God. When O’Neill brought Fleit onto The Slightest Touch, the team reunited.
“I knew how dedicated and passionate Eimhear was,” Klevin said. “When she thought of Rachel for this project, it was a natural fit for all of us to come together again.”
Klevin edited the documentary from her home in Northwest Connecticut, with Fleit joining her in person for four extended sessions that proved pivotal in shaping the film’s emotional arc and structure.
“The challenge from the start was portraying a deep friendship that exists mostly across long distances,” Klevin explained. “Colin and Emma rarely see each other in person, but they are constantly present in each other’s lives. We needed the audience to feel that connection, even when they were physically apart.”
A central creative goal was ensuring viewers never felt removed from either subject for too long. Independently financed, the film was completed in under six months, a tight timeline reflecting both the verité nature of the material and the team’s creative alignment.
Union Editorial’s involvement extended beyond the edit. Carmen Bartolomé Valls served as assistant editor, Union NYC handled graphics, and Miloš Zivkovic completed sound design and mix.
Produced by Fine Point Films Ltd and Chapel Place Productions in association with The Kennedy/Marshall Company, ORIGINAL FILMS, DESHE CAPITAL LLC, The DeNovo Initiative, Union Editorial, Northern Ireland Screen and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the film is produced by Fleit alongside Colin Farrell, Claudine Farrell, Trevor Birney, Eimhear O’Neill and Frank Marshall. Executive producers include Aly Parker, Tony Rosenthal, Alexandra Bowen, Ori Eisen, Michael Raimondi, Katherine LeBlond, Niamh Fagan and the Deshe Family, with Dawn Bonder, Daniel J. Chalfen and Marci Weinstein Wiseman serving as co-executive producers.
With HBO’s acquisition, The Slightest Touch is positioned to reach a global audience, bringing its intimate portrait of enduring friendship to viewers worldwide.
CREDITS:
- Director: Rachel Fleit
- Producers: Colin Farrell, Claudine Farrell, Eimhear O’Neill, Trevor Birney, Frank Marshall, Rachel Fleit
- Executive Producers: Aly Parker, Tony Rosenthal, Alexandra Bowen, Katherine LeBlond, Michael Raimondi
- Executive Producers: Ori Eisen, Anne Deshe & Family, Niamh Fagan
- Director of Photography: Shane Sigler
- Editor: Sloane Klevin, ACE
- Composers: Raphaelle Thibaut & Wynne Ashley Bennett
- Re-recording Mixer & Supervising Sound Editor: Milos Zivkovic (Union)
- Colorist: Maria Carretero (Royal Muster)
- Graphics & VFX: Union Editorial (Chris Bialkowski, Sean Vickery, Lauren Hafner Addison, & Mannix Rickenbacher)
- Asst Editor: Carmen Bartolomé Valls (Union & Industry Standard Resident 2024/25 cohort)
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