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Klaus Muller

In the heart of the Arizona wilderness, park ranger Tommy Dolan stumbles upon a chilling discovery: a long-lost nuclear bomb hidden among the trees. Desperate, he calls in federal bomb expert Klaus Muller to defuse the situation, but as tensions rise, it becomes clear that one of them is not who he says he is.

  • Zach Tolchinsky
    Director
    The Forbidden Zone
  • Zach Tolchinsky
    Writer
  • Zach Tolchinsky
    Producer
  • William Martinez
    Producer
  • Chinyere Nwodim
    Producer
  • Sven Gey
    Key Cast
  • Anthony Hsiaojung McMillan
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Black Comedy
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    16,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Zach Tolchinsky

Zach Tolchinsky is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and model maker celebrated for his bold storytelling and masterful craftsmanship. With a Master of Fine Arts in Animation from CalArts and a rich background in puppetry, playwriting, and acting from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Zach has earned top honors in animation, including the prestigious My Rode Reel competition and the Paris Animation Awards.

As the founder of Wood Goblin Studios, Zach has collaborated with industry giants like Disney, Nintendo, and Vans, bringing imaginative worlds to life. With over a decade of experience on acclaimed projects such as the Oscar-nominated Anomalisa, Emmy-winning Robot Chicken, and Katy Perry’s “Cozy Little Christmas,” Zach’s studio has produced five award-winning shorts, including the international sensation The Forbidden Zone.

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Director Statement

While researching how government authority is mishandled, I uncovered a chilling fact: multiple nuclear bombs are missing around the world—like, really missing. The U.S. alone has misplaced at least three in the last 50 years, and those are just the ones we know about. This alarming reality fueled the script for my new film, Klaus Muller, an exploration of truth, authority, and the chaos of misplaced power.

The film centers on an unlikely duo—a park ranger in Arizona and a German bomb retrieval expert—who must navigate trust, authority, and gut instincts when they discover a missing nuke. Inspired by my love of Japanese cinema and character-driven stories like HARA-KIRI and Seven Samurai, the film asks: Who do you trust when the stakes are nuclear—authority or your instincts? There’s an old saying that captures it best: “There’s no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.”