Private Project

"Gumdrop", a short horror

The armorer of a criminal (or government) organization struggles with traumas from his distant past, as his clients suffer his present.
Soundtrack by Andrea Fioravanti.

  • JZ Murdock
    Director
    The Rapping
  • JZ Murdock
    Writer
    The Rapping, The Teenage Bodyguard
  • JZ Murdock
    Producer
    The Rapping
  • Tom Remick
    Key Cast
    "Sampson"
  • Project Type:
    Feature, Short
  • Runtime:
    48 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 8, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    3606200558
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cult Critic Movie Awards
    Kolkata
    India
    June 29, 2020
    India Premiere
    Outstanding Achievement
  • Indo French International Film Festival
    Pondicherry
    India
    December 21, 2020
    Best Horror Short Film
  • Thinking Hat Fiction Challenge
    Kolkata
    India
    September 14, 2021
    Best Noir Film
  • World Film Carnival - Singapore
    Singapore
    Singapore
    January 31, 2022
    Singapore Premiere
    Best Horror/SciFi/Genre Film
  • Royal Society of Television & Motion Picture Awards
    Kolkata
    India
    October 13, 2022
    Best Horror/Science Fiction/Genre Feature Film
  • Gold Star Movie Awards
    Newark
    United States
    March 24, 2023
    North American Premiere
    Best Thriller Feature
  • Filmatic Filmfare
    London
    United Kingdom
    May 1, 2023
    United Kingdom Piemiere
    Best Horror Film of the Season
  • The Gladiator Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    June 30, 2023
    Turkish Premiere
    Winner/Official Selection
  • Death Skull International Film Festival
    Madurai
    India
    July 15, 2023
    Best Thriller Short Film
  • Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival
    Malibu
    United States
    July 25, 2023
    Fritz Lang Award of Distinction Best Picture
  • Golden Wheat Awards
    İstanbul
    Turkey
    July 30, 2023
    Da Vinci Special Section Jury Special Awards
  • Hercules Independent Film Festival
    Sevilla
    Spain
    June 17, 2023
    Spanish Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Tuesday of Horror
    Unna
    Germany
    August 2, 2023
    German Premiere
    Official Selection
  • International Motion Picture Awards
    Brooklin
    Canada
    April 15, 2023
    Canadian Piemiere
    Official Selection
  • New York Istanbul Short Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    October 7, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Wallachia Int'l Film Festival
    Bucharest
    Romania
    September 30, 2022
    Romanian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Symbiotic Film Festival
    Kyiv
    Ukraine
    February 24, 2022
    Ukrainian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Iconic Images Film Festival
    Vilnius
    Lithuania
    March 18, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Golden Bridge İstanbul Short Film Festival Golden Bridge İstanbul Short Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    January 30, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Kalakari Film Fest
    DEWAS
    India
    May 1, 2021
    Official Selection
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions
    Pinewood Studios
    United Kingdom
    April 26, 2020
    Official Selections
  • Gorst Underground!
    Gorst
    United States
    September 12, 2020
    Official Selection
Director Biography - JZ Murdock

JZ Murdock is a writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His true-crime biopic screenplay, The Teenage Bodyguard is currently being sent around by producer Robert Mitas, about a 17-year-old who protects a mafia murder witness for a week in 1974 Tacoma, WA.
I had previously worked some on a documentary in the 90s and "The Rapping" in 2019 but I really took the wheel on this one.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Now available exclusively on ThrilzTV.com streaming indie video channel and retiring from the festival circuit as of it's final in June 2023. Thank you!
I had long wanted to take some of my writings I have published over the years and make films out of them. Gumdrop, a short horror, is my first effort toward that goal and based upon my 2012 short true-crime horror story, Gumdrop City. The short film is a prequel and origin story of the main character, Sampson.