An overwhelmed professional flees her rigid routine for the sanctuary of a park, only to be drawn into a surreal, time-bending world where she must confront her subconscious to reclaim her authentic voice

Performed by Val Cole

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Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?
The story explores the profound routine and loneliness experienced by the majority of the population due to a societal obsession with ‘hard work’ and material values. It challenges readers to ask themselves: to what extent are we living full, authentic lives? Through the protagonist’s journey, the story reveals a future that awaits us if we continue to function as ‘robots’ dedicated to numbers and financial gain—values that are, ultimately, hollow.

2. What genres would you say this story is in?
Magical Realism and Speculative Fiction, with a strong philosophical and psychological undertone.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Existential Awakening

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
It’s a rich mix of psychological depth and core human values. I find myself returning to ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ for its profound exploration of the transition from loneliness to authentic happiness. Recently, I’ve been deeply influenced by the series ‘Severance’, which brilliantly captures the duality of modern existence and the ‘robotic’ nature of corporate life. I also appreciate the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise; despite the action, it consistently emphasizes essential values like family and loyalty, which I find very grounding.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
My musical taste is a journey through different energies. I have a long-standing passion for Classic Russian Rock, which carries a lot of poetic and raw power. On the other hand, I deeply appreciate the structure and timelessness of Classical Music. However, as reflected in my story, I find a unique sense of peace in the laid-back, soulful blues of artists like J.J. Cale. His music represents that moment of slowing down and finding rhythm in a world that is often too loud and fast.

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
It is a dialogue between two very different worlds that both explore the human condition. On one hand, I am deeply moved by Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’ for its unparalleled psychological depth and its exploration of morality, guilt, and the price of one’s soul. On the other hand, I hold the ‘Harry Potter’ series close to my heart; beyond the magic, it is a masterclass in addressing social stigma, the courage to face deep-seated fears, and the power of choices over circumstances. Both, in their own way, deal with the weight of our decisions.

7. What motivated you to write this story?
I actually wrote this story over a decade ago, during a time when I felt suffocated by my own reality. As a lecturer and business consultant, I was constantly surrounded by people, praise, and success. But the more I was celebrated, the lonelier I felt. Everyone saw the ‘persona,’ but no one saw the real me. I was playing a role every day because that’s what was expected, while my true self remained hidden. I poured that stifling loneliness and pain onto the paper.
I decided to bring it out of the drawer now because I finally felt strong enough to share this truth, and because I believe the message is more urgent than ever. With the current global instability and the growing emotional distance caused by technology, I felt it was time to tell people: ‘Wake up. Stop just surviving. Stop being robots to your roles and material values. Pause and choose what truly matters before the countdown ends.'”

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Without a doubt, my grandmother. She was a survivor of World War II whose life was incredibly complex and challenging, yet she remained the most graceful and joyful person I’ve ever known. She taught me to truly see the world—to find joy in every small flower. Her philosophy was simple yet profound: if you don’t like something, change it or walk away; if you can’t, find something within it to love. She taught me to treat every crisis as a lesson and to be grateful to the universe for that growth. She was a pillar of support for everyone around her until her very last day. It would make me truly happy if I could sit across from her once again and learn more about her boundless resilience and love for life

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I am deeply passionate about finding the bridge between the business world and mental health. I believe this intersection is key to creating a balance between true human values and the practical means required for living. This passion has led me to develop a comprehensive theory based on the love of the soul, which I call ‘Filopsycha’. Beyond my professional and academic work, I find my greatest joy in simple, authentic moments: traveling with my husband and our dog, engaging in deep conversations with my children, and spending quality time with my friends and extended family. These connections are what keep me grounded and inspired.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
After keeping this story in a drawer for over a decade, I felt a sudden urgency to see if its message still resonated. I wanted to see if the ‘rhythm’ of the internal struggle I wrote about back then could touch someone else when performed out loud. WILDsound offered the perfect stage to transform my private thoughts into a shared, living experience.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
My advice is a balance of patience and courage. On one hand, embrace your silence and let your story mature until you feel strong enough to stand behind it. But on the other hand, when you realize that your message is truly important—dare to put it out there. Sharing your truth is a powerful tool; it can be the very thing that helps someone else feel less alone in their own struggle. Don’t just write to express yourself; write to build a bridge for others who might be trapped in the same situation you once were.”

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Submit your short story to the festival today: https://fantasyscififestival.com/magical-realism-short-story-festival/

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?

A biomythographical experience as a teenager… doing my best to come to terms with my identity and desires during a time when being closeted was an absolute necessity in the 1970s. I describe the experience of growing up

2. What genres would you say this story is in?

My story is a biomythography. Biomythography is a genre created by Black lesbian author and poet Audrey Lorde in her 1982 book, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. She wrote that this genre enables us to use our experiences to compose what identity means to us, and that we can use emotions, along with imagery and perception, to express our truths.

Biomythography – weaving together myth, history, and biography in epic narrative form, a style of composition that represents all the ways in which we perceive the truth. Biomythography is a writing down of our meanings of identity… with the materials of our lives. We are the culmination of it all; experiences are painted with imagery, perception, and, mostly, emotion. Details that become true in the telling.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?

Tragic, sad

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Honestly, I don’t have an answer.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin comes to mind.

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Aunt Sookie and Me by Michael Scott Garvin comes to mind.

7. What motivated you to write this story?

The need to heal, the need to remove the deep pain within me, and give it another place to exist. To put the pain somewhere else to live instead of within me.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Oprah Winfrey, I have so many questions for her.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

The love of my life and the life we created together doing property investments and raising our Great Dane.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I needed to know whether it was worth sharing, whether others could relate to and benefit from my experience. To let others know that there is hope. And if my story got picked up for performance, that would answer my question.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Write what you feel. Write what’s deep inside you. Write what is most uncomfortable. Let it live in writing. “Your body is not a coffin for pain to be buried in.” (Ehime Ora). Write biomythographically.

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?

Kindness. “Gentilezza” is the Italian word for kindness. It’s the story of how a simple, selfless gift to another person can change their life permanently. The story straddles the boundary of fiction and creative non-fiction, because it’s based on a true experience from my life, with a few artistic embellishments added. As the ambiguous ending implies, the gift of a race victory created mixed emotions for me because I felt somehow unworthy of it. But over the course of twelve more years of elite level cycling competition, I won other races outright, and I drew on the confidence gained from Sandro Fortunato’s charity extended to a bright-eyed eighteen year old bicycle racer.

2. What genres would you say this story is in?

Literary short fiction, I suppose. Just over 1000 words, so not quite flash fiction. And as mentioned previously, this could also be creative non-fiction. Names were changed to protect the innocent, and the race details are an amalgam of those from several other competitive experiences.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?

Kindness matters.

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

It’s probably a tie between two Zucker brothers’ classics: Airplane! and Top Secret. They are masters of comedy and parody. You can’t tell it from this story, but humor – sometimes dark and sardonic – features in a lot of my fiction.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

“Moral Kiosk” by R.E.M., from one of their first albums, Murmur. It’s a great song!

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. A close runner-up would be Plainsong by Kent Haruf. I don’t think I’d call either of these novels the most important ones I’ve read, but they are my favorites.

7. What motivated you to write this story?

It initially started as a memoir piece, then drifted into creative non-fiction, and finally landed in the fiction category. I wanted to try my hand at a flash fiction piece, and so this story was distilled from previous efforts. It was a very memorable experience from my youth, and the naturally intense and quickly shifting action of a race situation translates well to short fiction.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Barack Obama. A polymath and overall impressive human being who carries himself with grace and dignity. I’d imagine he’d have answers, and probably the right ones, to the political turmoil that has roiled the U.S. and the globe since he left office.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Music. I come from a very musical family and I’m a classically trained bass/baritone singer. I perform with a number of large and small ensembles and it’s a great way to experience communion with others from all walks of life. I still ride my bicycles as much as I can, although I’ve long since stopped competition. My life partner and I run a podcast called Nimble Youth that addresses the youth mental health crisis that she deals with every day as a pediatrician. I’m helping her start her own practice that will focus specifically on youth behavioral health, so this is something else I’m very passionate about.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

This festival is such a great idea, and I’m not just saying that for extra points! It’s always so helpful to record your writing, because good writing, whether its poetry or prose, has a rhythm and cadence to it that must be heard to be appreciated (and maybe improved upon). I’ve done some voice acting myself and recorded this piece as narrator, but it’s even more helpful to have someone who is not the author read your work. It was also great to have a woman read this, since the narrator in the story is male, because its a test of the writing’s ability to bridge natural gender-based differences in how men and women approach fiction. I thought the narrator for Gentilezza did a fantastic job with it, and she took it to a level I could not have reached even as the story’s author.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Don’t overthink it. Just write! You can always go back and impart intellect and polish to the raw thoughts and emotions that first come out. I’m in my mid-fifties now, but started writing some fiction when I was in college and got lots of good feedback and encouragement for my efforts. But I decided I wasn’t going to be the next Ernest Hemingway or Cormac McCarthy and put my fiction writing ambitions on a shelf. I started dusting them off during a painful divorce a few years ago as a way to make sense of the loss and chaos in my life. Ultimately it doesn’t matter how good or bad a writer you are when you start because it’s a journey of the mind and soul. You improve as a writer by writing, and more importantly, you improve as a person by writing.

Performed by Val Cole

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Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?

Without giving too much away, it’s essentially about a guy who works at job where he sacrifices so much of himself to get ahead. The ending though is really what makes the story.

2. What genres would you say this story is in?

It’s a horror story, but more of an existential horror.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?

Worth reading 😉

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles.

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

The Stand by Stephen King or Ulysses by James Joyce.

7. What motivated you to write this story?

I’ve seen a lot of people I know go down the route that the protagonist went down, and wanted to shed light on it in a fictional story that has a lot of basis in reality.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Stephen King

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I play the piano, guitar, and ukulele. I’m also an avid golfer, love reading, and inline skating.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I knew having someone else, especially a professional, read my story out loud would be a great experience for me as the author. When I first listened to it, I had a smile ear to ear, as I remember writing the story piece by piece (sometimes at 3:00 AM just to get the ideas out) and now it is being read by a professional actor.

11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Write stories that you know you would like to read, and forget the rest. Also, many people will over analyze and misunderstand your stories, but that’s the case with any art form, as people see and hear what they want to see and hear. Finally, read a lot. I was reading fiction non-stop for a few years before I decided to try writing. When you read a lot of books, you get a nice starting framework of what good writing looks like.

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Submit your short story to the festival: https://festivalforhorror.com/horror-short-story

When a wildlife photographer’s bush plane crashes in remote Alaska, he and his girlfriend must survive a brutal game of cat & mouse with a family of fugitives eliminating witnesses, but the real danger may be what survival turns him into.

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your screenplay about?

When a wildlife photographer’s bush plane crashes in remote Alaska, he and his girlfriend must survive a brutal game of cat & mouse with a family of fugitives eliminating witnesses, but the real danger may be what survival turns him into.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?

Thriller, Suspense, Survival, Action, Drama

3. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?

It is a simple story with a small cast, minimal locations, a low budget, fast action, and room for audience interpretation.

4. How would you describe this script in two words?

Fatless Action

5. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?

Outlaw Josey Whales

6. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

Since October 2025

7. How many stories have you written?

3

8. What motivated you to write this screenplay?

A dream I had about this story woke me up to my crying newborn and I talked out the first couple scenes with him at 3 in the morning to calm him down.

9. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Learning how to format. Industry standards in screen plays, and how the business works.

10. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Music and my family

11. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I know that festivals are a way to get your foot in the door at least. I am new to this side of the industry and am learning as I go. This festival was a necessary stepping stone in the right direction. The feedback was also helpful, both validating my thoughts on the screenplay and challenging some ideas I was stuck on, which is always necessary.

Performed by Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?

My short story is about a white, evangelical man who thinks he’s entitled to everything–especially women.

2. What genres would you say this story is in?

I would say this falls under dystopian, but it also related to current events.

3. How would you describe this story in two words?

Creepy AF

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

I watch the super long 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice twice a year.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

Hmmm… the live version I’d Rather Go Blind by Etta James

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?

Just one? The People We Keep by Allison Larkin is one I’ll always recommend to friends.

7. What motivated you to write this story?

I had been listening to a lot of true crime, and religious extremism was a common thread amongst most cults/cult leaders. So, I wanted to write from the perspective of a man who is on the road to becoming one of those guys.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

My mom died when I was a little girl, and I’d like to have dinner with her again.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about teaching writing. It’s why I’m finishing up a creative writing MFA now. But in my spare time, you can catch me singing blues in a dimly lit bar.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?

I’d had submitted it to a handful of journals with no success. I just wanted to see it out in the world.

LARRY’S BIG IDEA, 2min,. USA
DIrected by Burton Rocks
Larry’s Big Idea tells the story of an imaginative boy who uses science to invent special batting gloves for his Little League game. The animated short is the first cartoon produced by internationally-recognized scientist and author, Dr. Lawrence Rocks.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Dr. Rocks, my dad, has always been my hero and inspiration, as is my mom. My dad would often reflect on his days caddying as a kid, so I thought it would be great to incorporate these real life anecdotes with science in a cartoon. He’d often tell me how when he was 10 years old he would ride his bicycle from his home to the local golf club to caddie. In the caddie area at the club they called him “Double Duty Larry” because he once carried two bags, one on each shoulder, in a round. I thought this would make for a fun cartoon to help instill a love of golf and science in kids across the globe.

>>> 2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

The cartoon short took about four months from start to finish.

>>> 3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

GOLF ROCKS

>>> 4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle was trying to make the science easy to understand and yet not over simplifying it.

>>> 5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I enjoyed the genuineness of the feedback.

>>> 6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I had always loved home movies and the idea of making films since I was a kid. I had heard much about the tv show Bonanza, as my cousin David Dortort created it, and he would later mentor me on producing and directing.

>>> 7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

I can’t pick a specific film but I’ve probably watched and studied Bonanza more than anything.

Surge of Power: Where There’s Smoke, 68min., USA

Directed by Vincent J. Roth, Jeff Rector, Mario DeAngelis
Enjoy the latest installment of the “Surge of Power” indie superhero movie franchise known for having lots of celebrities from the sci-fi and superhero genres! “Where There’s Smoke” follows Surge as he teams up with guest superhero, The Smoke (former pro wrestler Eric Moran), as they uncover a mysterious plot of the villain group called The Council. Who is Falling Apple, struggling with childhood trauma and abuse, out for revenge over her father’s murder, and what is her role in The Council’s evil scheme?

Get to know filmmaker Vincent J. Roth:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

“Surge of Power: Where There’s Smoke” is our 5th movie. We started screening it in film festivals on the 20th anniversary of the film festival screening start of our first movie, “Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes.” The movies in between have been building out the Surge of Power world with new characters and subplots. The immediately preceding movie, “Surge of Dawn,” was a collaboration with a fellow filmmaker to crossover our worlds where one of his flagship characters, Dawn, a vampire witch, teams up with Surge and Mavis to take on a new threat. This trio of Dawn, Mavis and Surge indicated it is time for Surge to form a superhero team. I have had a few new characters in mind for some time, Kid Dynamo, Falling Apple and Grok. This natural evolution in Surge’s development to start teaming up with other heroes was an ideal progression to introduce these new characters and bring them into the fold. “Where There’s Smoke” was our “Avengers assemble” moment where a team forms. We are excited to reach this point where the stage is set for bigger adventures with our team of superheroes.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

“Where There’s Smoke” was probably the most planned out Surge of Power movie to date. We were very careful laying out the story, making props and costumes, and filming in phases to allow us to focus on groups of scenes at a time. It took almost 4 years since “Surge of Dawn” for us to be ready to exhibit “Where There’s Smoke.”

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Avengers assemble.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

I find indie film crew members often don’t have a lot of experience shooting visual effect intensive movies. It takes a lot of planning, explaining, storyboarding and demonstrating for me to convey what’s needed. “Where There’s Smoke” is a very VFX heavy – almost 500 VFX shots. Even with all the planning we did for this movie, errors were made during filming, causing us to go back to do reshoots. Reshooting is expensive and time consuming. Even after reshoots, some shots were still not quite right, which was very frustrating. Fortunately, we have some clever VFX designers who were able to fix and work with the footage. This also caused extra work plus added time and cost to production. Thankfully, in the end we arrived at a product that was appealing and satisfying and has won 33 awards so far in film festivals. So, we got something right.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was very pleased with the reviewer comments. I think they were very honest. I’m glad the reviewers appreciated what we accomplished with a low budget. They picked up on deeper elements and appreciated the complexity and heart that when into it, which sounded genuine. I’m glad the audience members enjoyed the humor woven in with dramatic stakes. It was also heartwarming to hear viewers notice the meta aspects of the story that touched on social themes as well as paying tribute to the superhero genre that they noticed from comics, TV shows, and movies.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

For years I made costumes for myself of other properties’ characters before “cosplay” was a common word. Then there was a time when I was working in my second job as a corporate attorney where the company I was working for was promoting a new device with a marketing campaign that had a dark haired, muscular superhero character, they named Commander X. One of the marketing staff knew I liked superheroes and asked me if I’d make a costume, which I did. I really wanted this to turn out good. It was my pièce de resistance at the time. Management liked it so much, they would transfer me out of the legal department into the marketing department when they had trade shows and took me with them to be Commander X. I generated a lot of activity and sales opportunities. Having a company make me its mascot made me things that I should do something with characters of my own. That’s when the ideas of bringing Surge to the screen and making Surge of Power movies started.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

When I was young, in the early days of HBO, my family and I watched many movies repeatedly. Also back then a movie could last in theaters for quite some time. I think Steve Spielberg’s “ET” lasted 11 months in our local theater. ET, Star Wars (A New Hope), and 9-to-5 were movies I saw many times. In more recent years, I went to see the first “Avengers” movie 4 times in theaters. I also saw the last Avengers movie, “Endgame” 3 times in theaters.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

We enjoyed the festival experience and appreciated the collaboration and communication with staff to coordinate.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

FilmFreeway is the standard for film festivals. We have been using it for quite some time. It’s very user-friendly.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I love sushi and Brazilian steak houses.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

We have an ongoing web series, Surge of Power: Big City Chronicles,” that is about to start its 8th season. We also make ongoing, short motivational videos with Surge called “Surge of Power: Code of Heroes.” On the film side, we have one more movie adventure for Surge that picks up after “Where There’s Smoke” that is designed to wrap up the story we’ve been building since the first Surge of Power movie, “The Stuff of Heroes.” This will essentially be our Surge “Endgame.” We hope to be going into production on that soon.

Quench, 14min., UK
Directed by Ande Case
Thirst is a cruel mistress.

Get to know the filmmaker;

1. What motivated you to make this film?

It’s one of those amazing moments as a script writer when a great idea just lands in your head. Of course it had rewrites and great suggestions from the cast and crew but fundamentally the core of the story and visuals remain. I had to get it made 🙂

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

2.2 days filming (budgetary reasons) and about 2 days post. Yes, that is not much time but does show what ‘can’ be achieved when financial reality means you ‘have’ to achieve it.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Non Standard

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Location. Took ages to find the ideal location (one of my 18 roles is location scout) and then negotiate an affordable fee.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Absolutely humbling. It is one thing for you to know what you’ve made but to hear others experiencing the same thing (while avoiding spoilers!) was just an incredible experience.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

About 10 years ago when I had scripts piling up, some winning competitions but absolutely nothing happening. But I only make one when I have enough to pay cast and crew their rates. I cannot abide the whole come work for me at a loss so my vision is realised – just so unbelievably selfish when people have bills to pay. If everyone did that more cast and crew would have a better life.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Now then, that’s a challenge but likely a close call between The Blue Brothers [1980] and 2001: A Space Odyssey [1968] with Alien / Aliens and Shawkshank Redemption not far behind.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

You are doing an incredible job – you give feedback, screen our work, provide viewer feedback and much more – that is about 90% more than some of these festivals bother with. There are too many ‘festivals’ on FilmFreeway that are happy to take your money but offer next to nothing in return. And I don’t mean not winning but the whole you never hear anything from them again.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

See above. I would love there to be a process where all film-makers get to vote on the Top 10 or 20 Festivals each year and they get placed into a special ‘spend your money on these’ category – so you know your money is going to someone who cares about boosting others.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I really want to say something fancy but honestly a well made Mac & Cheese would be just fine.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes. More challenging, really go to push my small team / actors but it will (I hope!) be worth it. Just working out how to fund it as apparently Angel Investors don’t really exist 🙂

$13, 8min., USA
Directed by Melissa Skirboll
When a long-time New Yorker introduces her niece to her beloved city, a doughnut and a waterfront view ignite memories of her greatest, but luckiest, loss.

https://www.instagram.com/melissadirectherfilm/

Get to know writer Penny B. Jackson:

What motivated you to make this film?

This film began as a monologue I wrote shortly after 9/11. I live in Manhattan, and I remember every hour of that day. In the aftermath, I kept hearing stories of people who narrowly missed being on the planes. One story stayed with me in particular: a woman who missed her flight because she received the wrong change at a Dunkin’ Donuts. The randomness of survival fascinated and haunted me, and it became the seed for the monologue that eventually became this film.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take you to make this film?

The project had a long gestation period. I originally wrote the monologue shortly after 9/11, but I didn’t return to it until the Covid pandemic, when I was looking for something creative to work on. I shared the piece with my writing collaborator and with my favorite director, Melissa Skirboll.

Melissa first filmed it as a monologue, but it didn’t quite feel right. We let it sit for a few years. Then last year Melissa suggested opening up the piece and turning it into a short film. She helped transform the monologue into a two-person screenplay and found the perfect location by the water in Brooklyn.

I always imagined Melissa in the lead role, and Meghan Martin—our line producer—became the young woman. I had already collaborated with Louis on music, and I knew Bryan Hamilton, our cinematographer. Tracy Boak joined us as a producer, and we assembled a wonderful team. Amazingly, we shot the entire film in one day—on a day when the temperature was over 100 degrees.

How would you describe your film in two words?

Haunting chance.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Time and heat. We had only one day to shoot the entire film, and it happened to be one of the hottest days of the summer—over 100 degrees. Everyone had to work quickly and stay focused despite the conditions. The fact that the team pulled it off in a single day still amazes me.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talk about your film in the feedback video?

I was deeply moved. When you make something so personal, you never know how audiences will interpret it. Hearing viewers discuss the themes of chance, survival, and memory—and seeing how the story resonated with them—was incredibly gratifying.

When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I came to filmmaking through writing and theater. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, particularly stories that explore the emotional aftermath of historical moments. When I saw how a written monologue could evolve into a visual story with actors, music, and imagery, I realized how powerful film could be as a medium.

What film have you seen the most in your life?

Casablanca. I never tire of its writing, performances, and emotional precision.

What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

One of the most valuable aspects of festivals is the opportunity for meaningful conversations—both with audiences and with other filmmakers. Anything that encourages discussion, networking, and collaboration is incredibly helpful. Festivals that create spaces for filmmakers to meet each other, exchange ideas, and build relationships truly help sustain a creative career.