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Poker Night

Poker Night is a coming-of-age story that features a college senior who is grappling with a life-altering situation involving love and sacrifice. In an attempt to swindle his friends in a game of poker, Peter discovers a new perspective on the matter at hand.

  • Carly Zaleski
    Director
  • Ben Chason
    Writer
  • Laurel Pehmoeller
    Producer
  • Aidan Marchetti
    Key Cast
    "Peter"
  • Carly Polistina
    Key Cast
    "Jill"
  • Nick Greika
    Key Cast
    "Jimmy"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 24, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Connecticut
Director Biography - Carly Zaleski

Carly Zaleski is a storyteller and filmmaker based in Connecticut with a BFA in Digital Media & Design from the University of Connecticut. "Poker Night" was her directorial debut in traditional narrative filmmaking.

Carly currently works for an advertising agency where she directs and edits commercials, while creating music videos for local artists in her free time.

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Director Statement

What inspired me most to bring Poker Night to life was how straight forward in realness, relatability, and sensitivity the topic at hand was, yet the reactivity and emotions surrounding it is extremely subjective to the people who are experiencing it.

There were moments in the writers room where our whole team had completely different opinions as to how the characters would react to finding out such a thing, how they would feel, what they would do. Despite all of us being the same age and attending the same university, each and every one of us had a unique outlook on relationships, love, and sacrifice.

This experience was intriguing and it had convinced me that Poker Night was a story worth telling.