Experiencing Interruptions?

Bagman

A graduate researcher monitoring wildlife cameras notices a garbage bag suddenly appear in a forest clearing. She sends her supervisor to check it out--watching his every move through the live camera feed to see what's inside the bag.

  • Connor Gaston
    Director
  • Vaughn Gaston
    Director
  • Connor Gaston
    Writer
  • Vaughn Vaughn
    Writer
  • Ramgopal Rajagopalan
    Producer
  • Jordan Vazquez
    Producer
  • Samya Rahmani
    Key Cast
    "Nat"
  • Donal Thoms-Cappello
    Key Cast
    "Doug"
  • Rylan Gladson
    Cinematographer
  • Kristy Cussen
    Production Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 CAD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Connor Gaston, Vaughn Gaston

Connor Gaston is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker based in British Columbia. His short films, including Bardo Light (2012) & Godhead (2014), have premiered at major international film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival.

Connor made his feature debut with The Devout (2015), which premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival, where it competed for the Busan Bank Award. The film went on to win multiple Leo Awards, including Best Motion Picture, and was shortlisted for the John Dunning Discovery Award at the Canadian Screen Awards. He recently received funding for his next feature.

An alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre and a former participant in the TIFF Talent Lab, Connor is currently a Senior Directing Instructor at Vancouver Film School.

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Director Statement

Elevating the horror genre, Bagman explores the modern phenomenon of “digital dissonance”—the idea that our screens act as a a digital safety blanket, distancing the viewer from what’s being shown. News junkies turn the volume up on natural disasters, doom-scrollers seek out violent content, keyboard warriors push people they’ve never met to the edge—all things we would never do if not emboldened (or numbed) by the barrier of the screen. This perverse desire to witness “the bad”, while safe behind their screen, is the underlying concept of Bagman. The film implicates the audience themselves—which the horror genre does so uniquely—asking the viewer: Do you want to see what’s inside the bag?