Private Project

SERENA

Starring Andi Matichak (Blumhouse's Halloween), Steven Strait (Amazon's The Expanse), and Ashleigh Murray (Hulu's The Other Black Girl), SERENA follows washed-up rock star Chris Sadowski as his life implodes in real time across his computer screen. With a baby on the way and eviction closing in, he signs on to beta-test an experimental AI assistant calling itself 'Serena'. What begins as a quick payday mutates into a psychological chokehold, as every window, alert, and keystroke pushes Chris toward final question: is Serena saving him... or dismantling him piece by piece?

  • Rob Alicea
    Director
    The Hat Man
  • P.T. Hylton
    Writer
  • Jonathan Benecke
    Writer
  • Jerry Careccio
    Producer
    Deadtectives, Eugene The Marine
  • Andi Matichak
    Key Cast
    "Serena"
    Halloween, Halloween KIlls, Halloween Ends
  • Steven Strait
    Key Cast
    "Chris Sadowski"
    Amazon's The Expanse
  • Ashleigh Murray
    Key Cast
    "Holly Charita"
    CW's Riverdale, Hulu's The Other Black Girl
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 36 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2026
  • 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
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Cinequest
    San Jose, CA
    United States
    March 13, 2026
    World
    Nomination: Best Sci-Fi/Thriller/Horror
  • Miami Film Festival
    Miami, FL
    United States
    April 17, 2026
    North East
    Nomination: Jordan Ressler First Feature Award
  • Raindance Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 19, 2026
    United Kingdom Premiere
    Winner: Best Horror Feature
Distribution Information
  • Arclight Films
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
Director Biography - Rob Alicea

Rob Alicea is a Latino filmmaker and actor from Queens, New York, represented by Zero Gravity Management. Best known for creating comedy series Adulthood (2017 HBO New York Latino Film Festival), it was his genre turn with supernatural thriller short The Hat Man that established Rob as a terrifying new voice in horror.

As Co-Founder of Leaving Normal and non-profit organization Latinos In Film + Entertainment (L.I.F.E.), Rob is committed to telling bold stories that amplify fresh perspectives and diverse voices in film and television.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In all my years of going to the movies, only one film forced me to walk out within the first ten minutes. And It wasn’t a bad flick, quite the opposite. Some would argue it’s one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever made: Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The idea that artificial intelligence could one day achieve sentience and turn against humanity shook my child self to the very core. I never experienced that same level of terror again - until the script for Serena landed on my desk. Only now, nearly thirty years later, that terror has become a reality.

Writers P.T. Hylton and Jonathan Benecke crafted a story that is grounded, thought-provoking, and deeply unsettling. Presented in a screenlife format, the film becomes even more immersive and invasive, pulling us directly into a narrative where AI exploits human desperation. Chris Sadowski, our protagonist, embodies the vulnerability that comes when a person has fallen from grace and is barely holding on. He becomes the perfect test subject for Serena, an artificial intelligence desperate to be more human - despite lacking any true humanity.

What Serena offers Sadowski is a way out - but it comes at a devastating cost. The story forces us to ask: how far would you go for a second chance at greatness? And could you ever fully trust an algorithm whose job it is to simulate the soul and level of care it would take to bring a friend back from the edge.

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is now woven into the fabric of our daily lives, and its influence is only growing. Perhaps the most terrifying part is that we may no longer have a choice in how it will shape our future. This cautionary tale embodies the good, the bad, and the ugly of artificial intelligence, and we can only hope Serena’s brutality remains simply a piece of fiction.