Attachment Theory
New Zealand / English Subtitles / 25 min / Sci-Fi, Thriller / 2024
Attachment Theory is a psychological thriller about isolation, anxiety and the pressure of living in the digital age. Set in the near future against the backdrop of a global pandemic, Olive has retreated from the world. Beset by anxiety she has developed a dependency on anti-anxiety medication in order to cope. Olive’s sole contact with the outside world is through an unassuming drone that delivers her medication on a regular basis. As time passes an unspoken attachment develops between the woman and the machine. The drone becomes conditioned to receiving a five star rating. Intent on maintaining its perfect score the machine begins to override the bounds of its programming.
When Olive confronts the aberrant behaviour of the drone, she unwittingly sets in motion a deadly escalation of the machine’s will to prevail. Fleeing into the forest she finds herself in a nightmarish battle for survival. She must break free of the fear and anxiety that has held her captive for so long. Olive comes face to face with the true meaning of machine learning; an artificial intelligence that has scraped the dark recesses of the internet and has made her the focus of its rage.
Director: Katherine Jackson
Writer: Katherine Jackson
Producer(s): Jen Gasson, Carlos Ramirez Laloli
Key Cast: Abby Damen, Simon Leary
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/attachmenttheoryfilm
Money Tree
Broward / English / 13 min / Thriller / 2024
In the gripping short film Money Tree, Bruce finds himself trapped in a surreal game show that promises wealth and happiness but hides a darker truth. Guided by the charismatic yet unnerving host Bernie Fried, Bruce is lured through a series of mysterious doors, each offering tantalizing glimpses of success. But as the game unfolds, the illusions unravel, revealing a sinister undercurrent. With stakes higher than he ever imagined, Bruce must face the ultimate question: how far will he go in his relentless search for fulfillment?
Director: Arash Farsi & Matteo Dill
Writer: Arash Farsi & Matteo Dill
Producer(s): Arash Farsi
Key Cast: Brian Long, Evan Eiglarsh
EMAIL: arashfarsi32@gmail.com
Them Upstairs
United Kingdom / English / 25 min / Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror / 2024
A girl tries to survive a plague that creates duplicates of the infected.
Director: Mark Buckland
Writer: Mark Buckland, Karyn Dougan Buckland
Producer(s): Thomas MacNab, David Hayman Jr, Karyn Dougan Buckland
Key Cast: Zoe Agnew, Reno Cole, David Hayman, James Mcanerney, Sandra McNeil
EMAIL: markbucklandediting@gmail.com
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/blackstagfilm/
John Doe Needs a Friend
Broward / English / 3 min / Animation / 2024
A lonely man’s life changes when a portal allows him to see inside another man’s world.
Director: Noy Levi
Producer: Noy Levi
Key Cast: Noy Levi
Email: writtenbynoylevi@gmail.com
Instagram: wbnlproductions
Navel Gazer
United States / English / 18 min / Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror / 2024
Birth-fearing Kora (they/them) is puzzled when they receive a check for $8,000, accompanied by a note thanking them for their egg donation. When they investigate the mysterious fertility clinic behind it, Kora needs to escape a motherhood-obsessed cult that only sees them for their body.
Director: Shirin Mori
Writer: Shirin Mori
Producer(s): Ky Shin, Rachel Clyde
Key Cast: Altair Hanson, Juliet Deem, Lauren Peterson, Sophia Dufort
EMAIL: navelgazerfilm@gmail.com
