LiminaL

LiminaL is a surreal, psychologically-charged short film exploring isolation, alienation, despair, and the dark side of self-transformation. It follows a woman on the edge—overstimulated by who she thinks she needs to be, and what she thinks she needs to do. Invisible, exhausted, and drowning in existential inertia, she cries out for a sign, a shift, anything.

When a mysterious life-sized package appears at her door, she thinks the universe may have finally answered. But what lies inside isn’t salvation. It’s a version of herself: shiny, strong, smooth…and savage.
This mysterious double offers immediate emotional relief, then drops hints about a celestial collective whose mission is to save and remake humanity. Initial curiosity spirals into horror as the truth is revealed: in their world, evolution = erasure.
LiminaL is a visual and emotional descent into the devastating space between becoming and breaking.

Shot in December 2022
Entirely created solo (written, directed, filmed, acted, produced, edited)
Currently moving into post-production

Still Needed
Editing and VFX
Pickup footage
Original sound design
Festival submission resources

  • Liesel Kopp
    Director
  • Liesel Kopp
    Writer
  • Liesel Kopp
    Key Cast
    "L1, L2"
  • Liesel Kopp
    Producer
  • Liesel Kopp
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Psychological Horror, Sci-Fi, Surrealism
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Liesel Kopp

Liesel Kopp is a Los Angeles–based actress, filmmaker, and video editor whose work centers on psychologically-driven storytelling and nuanced explorations of mental health.

She holds a B.A. in Theater from UCLA, and has appeared in a wide range of film and television projects including HBO’s upcoming DC Universe drama series Lanterns, Apple TV+’s Shrinking, Amazon MGM’s The Accountant 2 opposite Ben Affleck, and numerous independent productions. She also recurred in all episodes of PBS’s Hello! Hi! How Are You?, created by an Emmy Award–winning writer-producer of Everybody Loves Raymond.

In 2018, after years of editing and creating content for others, Liesel began making her own films as a way to explore internal psychological states and emotional realities that resonated with her lived experiences. Since then, she has written, directed, edited, produced, and performed in multiple short films, many of which blend elements of psychological drama, horror, and dark comedy to examine fear, identity, grief, and anxiety.

Her films have received recognition including Best Short Thriller at the Marina del Rey Film Festival and Official Selections at the Golden State Film Festival/Zed Fest Film Festival for Sunk, Official Selections for Sweetlove at AtomaCon's 2026 Film Festival and FantaSci's 2026 Short Film Festival, as well as an Audience Award and multiple finalist and semi-finalist selections at ESMoA’s Video Art + Film Festivals.

Liesel’s storytelling is deeply informed by her own lived experience with anxiety disorders and depression. She is committed to portraying inner struggle with specificity, empathy, and emotional honesty, drawing from what it has felt like for her to live within these experiences, as well as from the quiet, internal moments that are often misunderstood or criticized.

Through her acting and filmmaking, she aims to create work that feels recognizable to people navigating their own mental health challenges—stories that question judgment, invite empathy, and replace isolation with connection.

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