Private Project

THE NOTHING

A woman wakes up to find she's trapped, held captive by a mysterious figure. Only by recalling her memories can she hope to escape.

  • Alex Armando Torres
    Director
    Letting Go
  • Alex Armando Torres
    Writer
    Letting Go
  • Alex Armando Torres
    Producer
    Heroes, Darker, Nemesis
  • Rebecca Nyahay
    Key Cast
    "Angelina Falls"
    Blackwell Summer Mysteries
  • Carl James
    Key Cast
    "Police Officer / Figure"
  • Lisa Rodriguez
    Key Cast
    "Wife"
  • Sylas Roman
    Key Cast
    "Son"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Horror
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 2, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    3,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • YoFiFest 2019
    Yonkers, NY
    United States
    November 4, 2019
    North America
    Audience Choice Wards
  • American Filmatic Arts Awards
    Brooklyn
    United States
    January 19, 2020
    NYC Premiere
    Best Horror Short
  • NewFilmMakers NY
    New York City
    United States
    May 13, 2020
  • One-Reeler Short Film Competition
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 20, 2020
    LA Premiere
    Special Mention
  • Best Shorts Competition
    La Jolla
    United States
    June 19, 2020
    West Coast Premiere
    Award of Merit
  • Latino Film Market
    New York
    United States
    August 1, 2020
  • Beyond The Curve International Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    August 29, 2020
    European
    Best Horror
Director Biography - Alex Armando Torres

Alex began his venture into film making as storyist for Sci-fi Fantasy screenplay “Children of Sin”, which placed as a quarter finalist in the Lonestar Screen Writing competition. Afterwards, he became the Executive Producer for sci-fi short thriller: Heroes. This Sci-Fi short was accepted in several festivals. Heroes placed as a monthly finalist in the View Askew Monthly Film Festival. He wrote an LGBT dramatic screenplay, which placed as a finalist in the TeaDance Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Alex made his directorial debut on the horror short, Darker, which was accepted in close to 50 film festivals worldwide and earned him many nominations and awards including Best Director and Best Horror Short. He was also the First Ad/Producer on several speculative commercials/PSA's as well as a short documentary on the LBGTQ perspective of a Street Theatre play regarding the Stonewall Riot of 1969 and a short narrative film called Mater Mortis. Alex is currently in development on a documentary regarding the intersectionality of the "T" community within the LGBTQ community.

He produced his first feature length film, Nemesis, Starring Sarah Villegas (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) which has won and placed as a finalist for best screenplay in many screenplay festivals. It was recently picked up by Random Media and released September 22, 2020 on several streaming services such as iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and VUDU in the US, the United Kingdom and Germany as well as Cable Stations like DirecTV and InDemand. Alex also recently wrote, produced and directed a short Horror/Thriller short (The Nothing), which currently underway in the film festival circuit 2020 and has won the Audience Choice as well as Best Director, and Best Horror Short at several film festivals.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Inspiration for The Nothing came from a deep-rooted sadness of having lost two family members to suicide within a 4-month period. Being raised a Catholic we are taught, the taking of one’s life means eternal damnation in hell. I decided this notion made no sense. How can the creator of all, allow someone already suffering to suffer wore in the afterlife? I decided that teaching does no-one any good. So, I made a conscious choice to let these beliefs go. I embraced a more spiritual approach. This other belief did no good for me nor for those who suffered for so long in silence before their end.

It was a conscious choice I made to explore, what this might look like. If there was an afterlife after suicide what it might look like and how we might escape the torment they felt inflicted. Could we confront those demons that torment us and emerge victorious? I did not presume to judge them for what they did or know why they decided it was time to leave, but more to show them, or maybe more myself a way out of the pain. A way to perhaps find joy. A way to find peace and comfort. For me, this was a personal journey of accepting what loved ones did to themselves and believing they might find joy in the afterlife.

The Nothing is filmed in black and white to simplify the concept of being in control versus not. The tones of the black and white add to the overall feeling of sadness and despair. It gives the film a feeling of isolation much like a painting by Edward Hopper.

The choice to gradually change the film and allow it to gradually shift from black and white to a vibrant display of color at the end was my way to acknowledging a person’s innate ability to find joy, to find their own sense of heaven and to more on.