Private Project

Below A Dark Wood

A missing woman. A troubled man. A dark wood full of mystery. What moves among the trees? What secrets lie buried? And what comes creeping in the dead of night?

  • Bill Slovick
    Director
  • Bill Slovick
    Writer
  • Bill Slovick
    Producer
  • Jesse Massaro
    Key Cast
    "the man"
  • Lucy McMahon
    Key Cast
    "the dog"
  • Jackie McMahon
    Key Cast
    "the woman"
  • Bill Slovick
    Production Designer
  • Bill Slovick
    Cinematographer
  • Bill Slovick
    Editor
  • Bill Slovick
    Sound Designer
  • Bill Slovick
    Music Composer
  • Bill Slovick
    Post-Production Supervisor
  • Tom Rovak
    Colorist
  • Jamie Vanadia
    Re-Recording Mixer
  • Drew McMahon
    Production Assistant
  • Jackie McMahon
    Production Assistant
  • Erik Summerville
    Production Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Psychological Thriller, Arthouse, Modern Silent, Mystery
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    1,300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - DePaul University
  • Twister Alley International Film Festival
    Woodward, Oklahoma
    United States
    May 2, 2019
    Oklahoma Premiere
    WINNER - Best College Director; NOMINEE - Best College Short; TOP TEN - Best Movie Poster; Official Selection; Live Screening, WTF Shorts
  • Barrington Independent Short Film Festival
    Barrington, IL
    United States
    May 11, 2019
    Illinois Premiere
    WINNER - Jury Award, Third Place; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Beyond Earth Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    June 22, 2019
    Asian Premiere; Indian Premiere; Kolkata Premiere
    WINNER - Best Zero Dialogue Short Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Canted Angle Film Festival
    Harrison, Arkansas
    United States
    August 31, 2019
    Arkansas Premiere
    WINNER - Best Sound Design; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Horsetooth International Film Festival
    Loveland, Colorado
    United States
    September 7, 2019
    Colorado Premiere
    WINNER - Curators' Collection; NOMINEE - Best National Short Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Southern Oasis Film Festival
    Knoxville, Tennessee
    United States
    February 8, 2020
    Tennessee Premiere
    WINNER - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • World London Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 26, 2020
    GOLDEN WINNER - Short Movie; Official Selection
  • New Florida Cinema
    Sarasota, Florida
    United States
    October 29, 2020
    WINNER - Best Experimental Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Andromeda Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    February 17, 2021
    WINNER - Best Experimental Film; Official Selection
  • Accolade Global Film Competition
    La Jolla, California
    United States
    March 2, 2021
    WINNER - Award of Merit, Lead Actor (Jesse Massaro); WINNER - Award of Merit, Experimental; WINNER - Award of Merit, Film Short; Official Selection
  • Independent Horror Movie Awards

    United States
    February 1, 2022
    WINNER - Best Editing; NOMINEE - Best Director; NOMINEE - Best Actor (Jesse Massaro); NOMINEE - Best Cinematography; NOMINEE - Best Sound; NOMINEE- Best Atmosphere; Official Selection, Spring Edition
  • Top Indie Film Awards
    Tokyo
    Japan
    February 5, 2022
    WINNER - Best Experimental Film; WINNER - Best Sound; NOMINEE - Best Director; NOMINEE - Best Cinematography; NOMINEE - Best Editing; NOMINEE - Most Terrifying; Official Selection, Spring Edition
  • KZ Film Festival
    Rio de Janeiro
    Brazil
    June 7, 2021
    Brazilian Premiere
    WINNER - Best Student Film; WINNER - Best Sound Editing and Mixing; NOMINEE - Best Cinematography; NOMINEE - Best Score or Soundtrack; Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Future Of Film Awards
    Ohrid
    Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of
    July 2, 2021
    WINNER - Honorable Mention, Second Place, Experimental Film; Official Selection
  • Only The Best Film Awards
    Miami, Florida
    United States
    July 31, 2021
    WINNER - Special Award, Best Experimental Short; Official Selection
  • Luna Lumen Film Festival
    Columbus, Ohio
    United States
    October 28, 2021
    WINNER - Best USA Short Horror; Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Sydney Multicultural Film Awards
    Sydney
    Australia
    November 20, 2021
    WINNER - Best Experimental; Official Selection
  • The Gladiator Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    December 10, 2021
    WINNER - Best Horror/Thriller; Official Selection
  • SydFest Independent Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    December 17, 2021
    Australian Premiere
    WINNER - Best Mystery; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Golden Nugget International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    December 20, 2021
    WINNER - Best Editing; WINNER - Best Sound Design; NOMINEE - Best Cinematography; Official Selection
  • American Filmatic Arts Awards
    New York, New York
    United States
    February 11, 2022
    WINNER - Honorable Mention, Short Experimental - Mystery; WINNER - Honorable Mention, Actor (Jesse Massaro); Official Selection
  • Golden Wheat Awards
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    March 31, 2022
    WINNER - Jury Special Award; Official Selection
  • Oz Indie Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    March 25, 2022
    WINNER - Best Short; Official Selection
  • Only The Best Film Awards
    Miami, Florida
    United States
    April 12, 2022
    WINNER - Special Award, Best Cinematography; Official Selection
  • MLC Awards
    Green Bay, Wisconsin
    United States
    May 29, 2022
    WINNER - Outstanding Achievement, Best Western-Flavored Production; NOMINEE - Best MLC Jewel; Official Selection
  • Festivus Film Fest
    New Westminster
    Canada
    June 26, 2022
    GRAND WINNER - Short Film; Official Selection
  • Los Angeles Cinematography Awards
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    July 13, 2022
    WINNER - Best Student Director
  • LA International Horror Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    July 17, 2022
    WINNER - Best Experimental; Official Selection
  • Lift-Off First-Time Filmmaker Sessions
    Pinewood Studios
    United Kingdom
    March 24, 2019
    FINALIST - Crowd Round; Official Selection; Online Showcase
  • Benton Park Film Festival
    Saint Louis, Missouri
    United States
    March 29, 2019
    North American Premiere; US Premiere; Missouri Premiere; Saint Louis Premiere
    FINALIST - Best Short Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Changing Face International Film Festival
    Cronulla, New South Wales
    Australia
    May 7, 2019
    MONTHLY FINALIST - Best Student Short, April 2019
  • Central States Indie FanFilmFest
    Rock Island, Illinois
    United States
    May 28, 2019
    NOMINEE - Best Student Film; NOMINEE - Best Actor, Central States Film (Jesse Massaro); NOMINEE - Best Cinematography, Central States Short; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Short to the Point International Short Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    May 31, 2019
    NOMINEE - Best Student Film, April 2019; Official Selection
  • South Shore Film Festival
    Mastic, New York
    United States
    July 27, 2019
    New York State Premiere
    FINALIST - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • The Brightside Film Festival
    Jersey City, New Jersey
    United States
    August 3, 2019
    New Jersey Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best Director, Horror; NOMINEE - Best Actor, Horror (Jesse Massaro); Official Selection; Live Screening, Horror Block
  • Guayaquil International Film Festival
    Santiago de Guayaquil
    Ecuador
    September 18, 2019
    South American Premiere; Ecuadorian Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best International University Short Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Ridgefield Independent Film Festival
    Ridgefield, Connecticut
    United States
    October 11, 2019
    Connecticut Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best Sci/Fi or Horror Short; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Indigo Moon Film Festival
    Fayetteville, North Carolina
    United States
    October 12, 2019
    North Carolina Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • The Short Film Awards - The SOFIES
    Newark, New Jersey
    United States
    November 15, 2019
    NOMINEE - Best Editing in a Narrative, Dramatic, or Comedic Short Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Sunshine City Film Festival
    Saint Petersburg, Florida
    United States
    January 19, 2020
    Florida Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • The Mosaic Film Festival
    Clarkston, Georgia
    United States
    April 25, 2020
    Georgia Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best Narrative Fiction Short, Emerging Voices Division; Official Selection; screening delayed due to Covid19
  • Treasure Coast International Film Festival
    Port St. Lucie, Florida
    United States
    June 27, 2020
    FINALIST - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Live Screening
  • MonsterFlix Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 27, 2020
    FINALIST - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Central Florida ShortNight
    Orlando, Florida
    United States
    July 19, 2020
    NOMINEE - Best Student Film; Official Selection; screening cancelled due to Covid-19
  • Ontario International Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    October 19, 2020
    Canadian Premiere
    SEMI-FINALIST - Best Student Film; Official Selection; Virtual Screening due to Covid-19
  • Aphrodite Film Awards
    New York City, New York
    United States
    January 8, 2021
    FINALIST - Best Fiction Short Film; FINALIST - Best Director; FINALIST - Best Student Director; FINALIST - Best First Time Filmmaker; FINALIST - Best Actor; Official Selection
  • International Film Festival of Ahmednagar
    Ahmednagar
    India
    March 5, 2021
    FINALIST - Best Short Film (Out of India); Official Selection
  • The Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    July 3, 2021
    NOMINEE - Best Actor (Jesse Massaro); Official Selection
  • Cosmic Film Festival
    Orlando, Florida
    United States
    February 4, 2022
    SEMI-FINALIST- Best Score; HONORABLE MENTION - Best Student Film; Official Selection
  • Distributor Outreach Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    August 7, 2021
    FINALIST - Best Short Film; Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • International Short Film Awards
    New York City, New York
    United States
    September 5, 2021
    FINALIST - Best Experimental Film; Official Selection
  • Make Art Not Fear
    Porto
    Portugal
    October 20, 2021
    SEMI-FINALIST - Best Fearless Short; SEMI-FINALIST - Best Laboratory Short; SEMI-FINALIST - Best Fearless Actor; SEMI-FINALIST - Best Fearless Cinematography; SEMI-FINALIST - Best Fearless Soundtrack; Official Selection
  • ShortsTV Worldwide Film Festival
    Beverly Hills, California
    United States
    December 18, 2021
    National Broadcast Premiere
    SEMI-FINALIST - Best USA Film; Official Selection
  • Hollywood Short Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    February 19, 2022
    Hollywood Premiere; Los Angeles Premiere; California Premiere
    NOMINEE - Best of the Festival; Official Selection; Virtual Screening due to Omicron
  • Clapperboard Golden Festival
    São Paulo
    Brazil
    March 9, 2022
    NOMINEE - Best Poster; Official Selection
  • Korea International Short Film Festival
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    May 4, 2022
    FINALIST - Best Student Film; Official Selection
  • Student Los Angeles Film Awards
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    May 27, 2022
    SEMI-FINALIST - Best Cinematographer
  • The Cump Film Festival, Cump Film Summit 2018
    Nairobi
    Kenya
    December 6, 2018
    World Premiere; International Premiere; African Premiere; Kenyan Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • River Bend Film Festival
    Goshen, Indiana
    United States
    May 2, 2019
    Indiana Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening, Creepy City Shorts
  • Cinema Soup Film Festival
    Dekalb, Illinois
    United States
    June 8, 2019
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Cindependent Film Festival
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    United States
    August 29, 2019
    Ohio Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Sinevizyon
    Nicosia
    Cyprus
    September 11, 2019
    European Premiere; Cypriot Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • New Wave Film Festival
    Hong Kong
    Hong Kong
    September 15, 2019
    Hong Kong Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • U-Special International Campus Film Festival
    New Delhi
    India
    September 15, 2019
    New Delhi Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Gig Harbor Film Festival
    Gig Harbor, Washington
    United States
    September 26, 2019
    Washington Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Queens Underground International Film Festival
    New York City, New York
    United States
    October 17, 2019
    Official Selection; Did not screen due to religious venue
  • Southern Screen Festival
    Lafayette, Louisiana
    United States
    November 7, 2019
    Louisiana Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Zuma Film Festival
    Abuja
    Nigeria
    December 1, 2019
    Nigerian Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • LIFFT India Filmotsav - World Cine Fest, Lonavla
    Lonavla
    India
    December 14, 2019
    Lonavla Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Malabo International Music & Film Festival
    Malabo
    Equatorial Guinea
    December 14, 2019
    Equatorial Guinean Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Alternating Currents Film Festival
    Davenport, Iowa
    United States
    August 27, 2020
    Iowa Premiere
    Official Selection; festival cancelled due to Covid-19
  • International Tour Film Festival
    Civitavecchia
    Italy
    October 7, 2020
    Italian Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Fort Myers Film Festival
    Fort Myers, Florida
    United States
    October 21, 2020
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Saints and Sinners Film Festival
    Orlando, Florida
    United States
    November 1, 2020
    Official Selection; screening cancelled due to Covid-19
  • Eastern Nigeria Film Festival
    Enugu
    Nigeria
    November 4, 2020
    Official Selection; Virtual screening due to Covid-19
  • Reel East Texas Film Festival
    Kilgore, Texas
    United States
    November 12, 2020
    Texas Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • International Tour Festival Seoul Event
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    December 16, 2020
    South Korean Premiere
    Official Selection, Best of Fiction Films; Live Screening
  • Standalone Film Festival & Awards
    Rancho Cucamonga, California
    United States
    January 15, 2021
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • West Sound Film Festival
    Bremerton, Washington
    United States
    January 29, 2021
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening due to Covid-19
  • Horror Lust Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    March 1, 2021
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Coal City Film Festival
    Enugu
    Nigeria
    March 25, 2021
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Green Bay Online Film Festival
    Green Bay, Wisconsin
    United States
    June 14, 2021
    Wisconsin Premiere
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Indie Shorts Mag Short Film Festival

    July 13, 2021
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Spring Grove Caledonia Film Festival
    Spring Grove, Minnesota
    United States
    July 23, 2021
    Minnesota Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • MICAM 3.0
    Mexico City
    Mexico
    July 24, 2021
    Mexican Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Four Corners Film Festival
    Farmington, New Mexico
    United States
    September 15, 2021
    New Mexico Premiere
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival
    Jerome, Arizona
    United States
    September 23, 2021
    Arizona Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • CREATE: Flash Film Fest
    Greenville, New York
    United States
    September 30, 2021
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Worcester Film Festival
    Worcester
    United Kingdom
    October 14, 2021
    UK Premiere; England Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • ARA Korea International Film Festival
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    October 29, 2021
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • The South African Independent Film Festival
    Cape Town
    South Africa
    November 24, 2021
    South African Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • CINEMAGIA Movie Awards

    Italy
    December 27, 2021
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • International Short and Independent Film Festival, Dhaka
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
    February 25, 2022
    Bangladeshi Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Giallo International Film Festival
    Fontainebleau
    France
    February 28, 2022
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Bridge of Arts Film Festival
    Rostov-on-Don
    Russian Federation
    March 6, 2022
    Russian Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Ciak Napoli Festival
    Napoli
    Italy
    June 1, 2022
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Garden Route International Film Festival
    Garden Route
    South Africa
    July 4, 2022
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Film Leben Festival
    Ilmenau
    Germany
    July 7, 2022
    German Premiere
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • The Sur-REEL & Uncanny Film Fest
    London, England
    United Kingdom
    August 6, 2022
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Katonah Classic Stage Film Festival
    Katonah, New York
    United States
    August 13, 2022
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Prospector International Film Festival
    Ridgefield, Connecticut
    United States
    September 29, 2022
    Official Selection; Live Screening
  • Southeast Michigan Film Festival
    Dearborn, Michigan
    United States
    November 2, 2018
    Official Selection; Online Student Showcase
  • Lift-Off Sessions
    Pinewood Studios
    United Kingdom
    November 12, 2018
    Official Selection; Online Showcase
  • Festival AZYL - International Online Festival of Short Films
    Bratislava
    Slovakia
    June 14, 2019
    Official Selection; Online Showcase
  • Cinebooth - The Live Show
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 1, 2020
    Official Selection; Virtual Screening
  • Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    February 20, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Sands Film Festival
    Jacksonville Beach, Florida
    United States
    April 13, 2019
    Semi-Finalist
  • Cefalù Film Festival
    Cefalù, Palermo
    Italy
    June 1, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Las Vegas Global Film Fest
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    United States
    September 24, 2019
    Finalist
  • Alder International Short Film Festival
    Chicago, Illinois
    United States
    September 27, 2019
    Semi-Finalist
  • MoziMotion
    Hilversum
    Netherlands
    October 5, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Curtas Fest
    Vilagarcía de Arousa
    Spain
    October 25, 2019
    Official Selection
  • International Moving Film Festival
    Abadan
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    November 8, 2019
    Semi-Finalist
  • Blow-Up International Arthouse Filmfest Chicago
    Chicago, IL
    United States
    November 9, 2019
    Official Selection
  • International Shorts
    Melbourne
    Australia
    December 2, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Realtime International Film Festival
    Lagos
    Nigeria
    April 7, 2020
    Semi-Finalist
  • FLICKFAIR
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    June 1, 2020
    Finalist
  • Australia Independent Film Festival
    Brisbane
    Australia
    September 17, 2020
    Semi-Finalist
  • Film Screening Awards
    San Diego, California
    United States
    April 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival
    Fukuoka City
    Japan
    December 23, 2020
    Official Selection
  • London International Web & Shorts Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 6, 2021
    Official Selection; Semi-Finalist
  • Bharat International Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    January 24, 2021
    Semi-Finalist
  • Flix Reps Festival
    Houston, Texas
    United States
    January 30, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Abbey Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    March 5, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • SCREAM it off SCREEN
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    United States
    April 2, 2021
    Official Selection
  • The Johns Hopkins Film Festival
    Baltimore, Maryland
    United States
    April 16, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • FilmÓptico - International Art Visual and Film Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    April 23, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Fillum International Storical & Short Film Festival

    India
    April 23, 2021
    Official Selection
  • IE Short Film Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    April 27, 2021
    Finalist
  • Jharkhand Film Festival
    Ranchi, Jharkhand
    India
    May 14, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Bristol International Film Festival
    Bristol, Colorado
    United States
    June 1, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Volterra Fantasy Film Festival
    Volterra
    Italy
    June 4, 2021
    Official Selection
  • AmiCorti Film Festival
    Peveragno
    Italy
    June 14, 2021
    Official Selection
  • MLC Awards
    Green Bay, Wisconsin
    United States
    July 31, 2021
    Official Selection
  • International Spot Shot Films Festival
    Beirut
    Lebanon
    August 6, 2021
    Semi-Finalist
  • Anatolia International Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    September 9, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Monza Film Fest
    Monza
    Italy
    September 24, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • Golden Bridge Istanbul Short Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    September 26, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Lake View International Film Festival
    Ludhiana
    India
    November 7, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Sanctuary International Film Festival
    Sanctuary Cove
    Australia
    November 12, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • Oudeis International Film Festival
    Rome
    Italy
    December 11, 2021
    Semi-Finalist
  • Filmmakers United International Film Festival
    Birmingham
    United Kingdom
    December 11, 2021
    Official Selection
  • TrueView Film Festival

    United States
    January 3, 2022
    Official Selection
  • ROFIFE - Rotary Internation Short Film Festival
    Bolu
    Turkey
    March 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Festival RNAB
    Sao Paulo
    Brazil
    March 25, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Symbol of Knowledge Arts and International Film Festival
    Mumbai
    India
    April 30, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Nassau Film Festival
    Princeton, New Jersey
    United States
    May 21, 2022
    Honorable Mention
  • Golden FEMI Film Festival
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    June 4, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Independent Cinema Film Festival "Art Club Pavlos Paraschakis" Greece
    Athens
    Greece
    October 3, 2022
    Official Selection
  • 24fps International Short Film Festival
    Abilene, Texas
    United States
    November 4, 2022
    Honorable Mention
Distribution Information
  • ShortsTV
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
Director Biography - Bill Slovick

Bill Slovick is an international award-winning director, producer, sound designer, editor, and cinematographer, and an award-nominated composer and poster-designer. He lives in Ballston Lake, New York with wife June, where he is a full-time daddy to their 4-year-old son.

Bill’s first film “Below A Dark Wood” has been recognized by 147 film festivals and competitions across 30 countries globally. It has screened before live audiences on all 6 continents, in over 15 different countries and across all regions of the USA. His film has won 34 awards on 5 continents as a 90-time award nominee/finalist globally.

Still making the festival rounds, "Below A Dark Wood" has also been acquired by ShortsTV, home of the Oscar shorts program with a reach of 100 million households worldwide, where it has appeared on TV broadcasts in 18 different countries thus far.

Additionally, the film made its Hollywood debut at the Hollywood Short Film Festival in February of 2022 where it was a Nominee for Best of the Festival, and was a winner at the Los Angeles International Horror Film Festival for Best Experimental in July of 2022.

Recently, Bill has served as an International Jury Member for the Changing Face International Film Festival (CFIFF) based out of Sydney, Australia for its 2021 annual year-end edition.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When my then-girlfriend (now wife) left the country for several months, not knowing whether she would ever return, I was traumatized by her departure and haunted by the possessions that she left behind in our apartment. Faced with living in her absence every day, and confronted constantly with evidence of her former presence in the form of her belongings, I was racked with a sense of foreboding that she would never return.

I began to hypothesize a scenario in which a man was living in a similar situation, but instead his girlfriend was dead, he was living in her house with her dog in the middle of the woods, and the trauma of her departure was manifesting itself as a haunting which either could be real, or which could be the sign of an impending mental breakdown. I then followed this scenario of isolation and grief to its furthest conclusion. In post-production, I was surprised to discover in the edit a far more sinister possibility.

With this film, I aim to create a purely cinematic experience. Without dialogue or camera movement, I tried to strip away all pretensions of entertainment and focus entirely on composition, editing, and sound design to tell a story. The film was shot with natural lighting, MOS, and its sound effects and score were patched together using a combination of field recordings and Creative Commons 0 sound clips available for free on freesound.org.

I attempted to show what’s possible for a film production team of one to accomplish utilizing the benefits of modern digital technology on a minuscule budget. The budget expanded six-fold when the film was awarded a post-production grant, and I was able to collaborate with color and sound professionals to fully realize my vision.