Experiencing Interruptions?

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BACKYARD POOL INDUSTRY

Logline:
Divided over the fate of their rundown pool, the Osgood family is visited by a nocturnal stranger who convinces them to take one last plunge.
Synopsis:
The Osgoods’ pool used to be the epicenter of fun, but a costly repair may force them to shut it down, further splintering their already fractured bond. When a strange visitor named Willy Chamieux convinces them to take one last plunge, their suburban oasis is given a new lease on life. Faced with a dilemma, the Osgoods must decide if family togetherness is worth the price of summer’s greatest luxury.

  • Derek Frey
    Director
    Viaticum, Kill the Engine, Green Lake, Kill the Engine, Pangea
  • David Amadio
    Writer
    Viaticum, The Ballad of Sandeep, Kill the Engine
  • Derek Frey
    Producer
    Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride, Big Eyes, Frankenweenie, Dumbo, MIss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, Dark Shadows
  • Gil Damon
    Key Cast
    "Henry"
    Kill the Engine, Motel Providence, Awkward Endeavors
  • David Amadio
    Key Cast
    "Willy Chamieux"
    Motel Providence, Viaticum, The Ballad of Sandeep
  • Steve Kuzmick
    Key Cast
    "Rick Kettinger"
    Kill the Engine, Motel Providence, Awkward Endeavors
  • Derek Frey
    Editor
    Viaticum, The Ballad of Sandeep, Kill the Engine, Pangea
  • Derek Frey
    Cinematographer
    Pangea, Viaticum, God Came 'Round, Vampires Kiss/Blood Inside
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Dramedy, Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 15, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Derek Frey

Derek Frey is a filmmaker and producer best known for his long-standing collaboration with director Tim Burton, with whom he has worked for more than two decades on a wide range of live-action and animated films. His producer credits include Dumbo, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Big Eyes, Frankenweenie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Corpse Bride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, among others.

Alongside his studio work, Frey has built a distinctive career as an independent filmmaker whose projects often draw from the humor, nostalgia, and quiet absurdities of American suburban life. His films blend offbeat comedy, dark whimsy, and heartfelt character moments, earning dozens of awards on the international festival circuit and cultivating a loyal following among indie audiences.

As a director, his dark comedy Kill The Engine won 45 festival awards including Best Comedy and Best Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards. His horror featurette Green Lake earned 50 awards, including Best Short at the Honolulu Film Fest. Recent projects include the dark comedy Viaticum with his long-running creative collective The Minor Prophets and the satirical suburban short The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry.

Frey began his career as assistant to Burton on Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, and Planet of the Apes, an experience that placed him at the center of large-scale filmmaking early on. As head of Tim Burton Productions, he helped shape films, music videos, commercials, and exhibitions, including the MoMA traveling exhibition The World of Tim Burton. He has also produced documentaries, music videos, and short-form projects across genres, often championing distinctive voices and unconventional storytelling.

He is a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania, a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and BAFTA, and continues to develop both studio and independent projects through his production banner, Otherworldly Pictures.

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Director Statement

The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry is the latest evolution in my long-standing creative partnership with The Minor Prophets, a comedy troupe I have been making films with for nearly two decades. This marks our tenth project together and represents a clear shift in tone and style from our previous film, Viaticum.

While Viaticum is intentionally tight, claustrophobic, and restrained, filmed largely in dim interiors with static and locked-off compositions that echo its focus on emotional suffocation and last breaths, The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry celebrates the act of reawakening and the pleasure of finding one’s breath again.

Thematically, The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry explores the rituals of suburban life through the lens of middle-aged masculinity, but always with tenderness and affection. There is comedy throughout, but also undercurrents of melancholy and quiet desperation. It is a story about men trying to stay afloat not just in a backyard pool, but in their lives, careers, and relationships. It is the test of remaining relevant in a world that has stopped paying attention to you.

In crafting The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry, I drew significant inspiration from the films of Federico Fellini. Much like Fellini, I wanted to transform an ordinary, everyday setting into a space where reality and gentle fantasy intertwine. In that sense, the film is a modern, heartfelt nod to Fellini’s tradition of blurring the line between the real and the dreamlike to reveal deeper truths about our lives.

The Minor Prophets and I have always gravitated toward stories that find something profound in the everyday. The Current State of the Backyard Pool Industry is no exception. This time, we are launching off the diving board, lighter in tone and splashier in style, but still making waves that ripple into deeper emotional waters.