Private Project

Focus Group

After being shown a commercial for the AI company GAIA, five self-assured focus group participants are asked to determine who among them is not fully human.

  • Sydney Relihan
    Director
  • Sydney Relihan
    Writer
  • Sydney Relihan
    Producer
  • Cynthia X. Mahoney
    Key Cast
    "Sophia"
  • Andrew V. Lorenzen
    Key Cast
    "Alan"
  • Michael McCarthy
    Key Cast
    "John"
  • Alice Navadeh
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
  • Grayson Rosenberg
    Key Cast
    "Rachael"
  • Kayla Bouazouni
    Key Cast
    "Commercial Voice"
  • Taylor Bazos
    Supporting Cast
  • McKee Bond
    Supporting Cast
  • Kayla Bouazouni
    Supporting Cast
  • Luke Morcade
    Supporting Cast
  • Jack Muench
    Supporting Cast
  • Shannon O'Shea
    Supporting Cast
  • Maddison (Seoyeon) Shin
    Supporting Cast
  • Joelle Ramson
    Supporting Cast
  • Shannon O'Shea
    Sound
  • Joelle Ramson
    Sound
  • Sydney Relihan
    Editor
  • Sydney Relihan
    Score
  • Crystal Navellier
    Graphic Design
  • Stewart Thorndike
    Special Thanks
    Lyle, Eyes Wide Shut
  • Randy Hendrickson
    Special Thanks
  • Cornell Department of Performing & Media Arts
    Special Thanks
  • Mackenzie Relihan
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 17, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9, 2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Cornell University
  • MLC Awards 2021

    United States
    Strong Filmmaking Talent in a Film Award Winner
  • Bristol Science Film Festival 2021

    United Kingdom
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Sydney Relihan

Sydney Relihan is a writer, director, and film composer from Naperville, Illinois, currently studying at Cornell University. With her films, Sydney often discusses themes of platonic love, identity, and mental health, and has a particular interest in exploring how people relate to one another in the context of their environment.

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Director Statement

Bringing philosophy into a grounded science fiction world of AI, Focus Group poses different ways of answering the question of what makes us human. However important that question may be, Sydney sees the film more as an exploration of suspicion, mistrust, and identity, as the five participants begin to challenge their perception of each other and of themselves. Can we even know what makes us human? Will we lose our own ideal version of humanity in the search?