Manifest Destiny

A podcast about urban legends takes an eerie turn when the supernatural stories seem to come true in the life of a new
father. Now he must confront if these uncanny experiences are real or simply the product of stress in his home life.

  • Timothy Gunatilaka
    Director
    Rear View
  • Kevin Osgood
    Director
    The Flow State
  • Timothy Gunatilaka
    Writer
    Rear View
  • Ivy Chiu
    Producer
    Boys State
  • Michael Zumaya
    Producer
  • Ivy Howell
    Producer
  • Samora Goodson
    Key Cast
    Cruel Summer
  • Dani Hurtado
    Key Cast
    Three Headed Beast
  • Gregory Kelly
    Key Cast
    The Devil All the Time, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Horror
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 15, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    3:2
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Timothy Gunatilaka, Kevin Osgood

Manifest Destiny is co-directed by Timothy Gunatilaka and Kevin Osgood, whose short films have screened at Oscar-qualifying festivals across the country.

Tim and Kevin met over a decade ago at an ad agency in New York—and have been collaborating ever since. Together, their commercial work has won the most coveted awards in advertising, including 5 Cannes Lions last year.

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Director Statement

This project started as an exploration of the writer/director’s anxieties over potential parenthood and pursuing the American Dream as a person of color (not to mention, an ongoing obsession with urban legends). But it’s blossomed into something real thanks to our amazing Austin-based crew.

With influences ranging from The Shining to Get Out to The Babadook to Blue Velvet, Manifest Destiny follows a man named Patterson, who is a thirty-something BIPOC and new father living the proverbial American Dream, which causes him much anxiety. Anxiety over America. Anxiety over ambition—over avoidance—over acceptance. That odd feeling when nothing good seems quite right or real. Maybe your new neighbors hate you. Your family too. Maybe a monster’s lurking in your way. Manifest Destiny may not be a straight horror film, but it’s definitely a drama about dread.

Patterson worries about his ability to fulfill the familial responsibilities in his life. He also fears his new neighbors will not accept him. And so, he escapes everyday stresses through podcasts on the paranormal. But what happens when that anxious escapism starts to manifest in the real world?

Sometimes dreams do come true. But so do nightmares.