2026 Official Selection: Short Film – Horror

A surreal horror story about a lonely latchkey kid who becomes fixated on a sitcom character as a surrogate father figure.

Screening date & tickets — to be announced

• Director(s): Sam Ripley
• Writer(s): Sam Ripley
• Producer(s): Borna Jamshidi, Dhruvraj Singh Bhati, Associate Producer: Jonathan Taub
• Key Cast: Ron Livingston, Logan Kaufman, Keenan Moran
• Editor(s): Kyle Moore
• Cinematographer(s): Ian Herz
• Production Designer(s): Bianca Natalia
• Sound Designer(s): Thomas Neugebauer

Language: English

Runtime: 11m

Country: United States

Synopsis: Alienated from his father, lonely twelve-year-old Kyle finds comfort in the warm, familiar world of an old family sitcom. When the show’s kindly patriarch begins speaking directly to him through the television, Kyle believes he’s finally found the father he always wanted. But as his fixation deepens, TV Dad’s comforting guidance takes a sinister turn, offering Kyle a path to a perfect new home… if he’s willing to leave his real one behind.

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Source: SOFF