‘KING OF THE IRON WILL’ Puts Shakespearean Language Behind a Modern Power Struggle: Liam James Collins and Scott Vickers on Ambition, Tyranny and Making an Epic on an Independent Budget

The filmmakers behind the HollyShorts premiere discuss reinventing Shakespearean dialogue for a contemporary audience, building a medieval world inside historic Scottish castles and what happens when the man who defeats a tyrant is handed the crown. KING OF THE IRON WILL began with an ambitious proposition: tell a story about power, revenge and the consequences of overthrowing a tyrant, but do it through the language and … Continue reading ‘KING OF THE IRON WILL’ Puts Shakespearean Language Behind a Modern Power Struggle: Liam James Collins and Scott Vickers on Ambition, Tyranny and Making an Epic on an Independent Budget

‘CERTAIN THOMAS’ Writer-Director Henry K. Hwang on Algorithmic Supremacy, the Rise of “Dataism” and Why Sci-Fi Is the New Realism: “Our Future Won’t Just Be Shaped by Data, It Will Be Governed by It”

Ahead of the film’s HollyShorts Film Festival run, the filmmaker discusses building an algorithmic totalitarian world through restraint, using Thomas as a reflection of the system around him, the visual language behind The New State and the feature film now in development. Henry K. Hwang’s CERTAIN THOMAS drops audiences into a dystopian America governed by an algorithmic totalitarian regime, but rather than explaining the mechanics … Continue reading ‘CERTAIN THOMAS’ Writer-Director Henry K. Hwang on Algorithmic Supremacy, the Rise of “Dataism” and Why Sci-Fi Is the New Realism: “Our Future Won’t Just Be Shaped by Data, It Will Be Governed by It”

‘LITTLE BUG’ Turns the Space Race Into an Intimate Story of Love, Loss and Connection

Writer-director Matt Branston on bringing Laika’s final days to the screen, shooting from a dog’s perspective, and using the 1957 space race to tell a deeply human story The story of Laika, the Soviet space dog sent into orbit in 1957, has become one of the most haunting chapters in the history of space exploration. But in LITTLE BUG, writer-director Matt Branston deliberately moves away from … Continue reading ‘LITTLE BUG’ Turns the Space Race Into an Intimate Story of Love, Loss and Connection

‘BLEEDER’ Director Jeremy Max on Turning Physical Pain Into Emotional Survival: “I Wanted to Give My Character the Win I Needed Myself”

Ahead of the psychological drama’s World Premiere at HollyShorts, the filmmaker discusses the personal tragedy behind the film, casting former professional boxer John Duddy, its visual language and the feature adaptation now in development. Jeremy Max’s BLEEDER began during a period when the filmmaker found himself questioning his relationship with the things he had once loved most. That introspection became the foundation for a psychological drama about … Continue reading ‘BLEEDER’ Director Jeremy Max on Turning Physical Pain Into Emotional Survival: “I Wanted to Give My Character the Win I Needed Myself”

TRIBECA DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT – Lara Everly’s Tribeca Double Premiere Marks the Arrival of a Distinct New Auteur

Meet Lara Everly, The Director Turning Personal Trauma Into Fearless Cinema At the 2026 Tribeca Festival, filmmaker Lara Everly arrives with a distinction few directors achieve in a single year: two short film premieres. But for Everly, the milestone is less about industry validation than survival, reinvention, and artistic catharsis. RECONSTRUCTING CHARLIE Her two Tribeca selections, RECONSTRUCTING CHARLIE and SELAH, are vastly different in tone and setting, yet … Continue reading TRIBECA DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT – Lara Everly’s Tribeca Double Premiere Marks the Arrival of a Distinct New Auteur