Conversation with filmmaker Tom White on the making of CONNECTION – a film he directed remotely.
A government agent is tasked with interrogating a silent prisoner—but the true danger lies in whether the voice in his head is his own… or something else entirely.
Director Statement
I didn’t just direct Connection from my living room — I directed it live, in real time, over an iPad, collaborating with my cast and crew from home.
After being diagnosed with a chronic disability that left me homebound, I feared my days of directing were over. For a long time, I grieved the version of myself who could run a set, work shoulder to shoulder with my DP, and block scenes in person. But this film became the experiment that proved I could still do all of that — just differently.
Remote directing forced me to trust my collaborators more deeply, communicate with absolute clarity, and lean into a process most filmmakers never attempt. The result isn’t just a short film — it’s proof that my voice still has a place, even if the way I use it has changed.
Connection is my reminder that creativity can evolve. That even when life rewrites the rules, we can still tell the stories that matter to us — and maybe tell them in ways no one’s tried before.
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