Private Project

The Grate Director

A young director with ADHD struggles to live up to his own expectations, voiced by a grandiose Inner Monologue. An eccentric volunteer crew, a casting from hell, and the director's perfectionism add to the chaos of an overambitious first film.

  • Samuel J Punto
    Director
    Distortion, The Holding Room
  • Samuel J Punto
    Writer
  • Charys Schuler
    Writer
  • Samuel J Punto
    Producer
    The Holding Room, distortion
  • Samuel J Punto
    Key Cast
    "The Director"
  • David Juarez
    Key Cast
    "Josh"
  • Jeff Book
    Key Cast
    "Robert"
  • Charys Schuler
    Key Cast
    "Charlie"
  • Ethan Punto
    Key Cast
    "Seth"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    35mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Ernst Ludwig Schule
Director Biography - Samuel J Punto

Samuel J Punto is a 19-year-old German/American writer/director. He started making films at age 10 and never looked back, developing a special appreciation for shooting on analog cinefilm and a workflow of careful storyboarding and minimal takes.

His shorts have been shown at prestigious festivals such as Dances With Films, Breckenridge, and Mill Valley, and have won awards including: Special Jury Prize, Visionale Frankfurt; Best Young Director, Indie Short Fest Los Angeles; Audience Choice Award, Indie Film Library Experimental Showcase; Best Young Filmmaker, Birmingham Film Festival; Nominee Representing Germany, Youth Cinema Network; and Special Award, German National Youth Film festival. Samuel was also asked to judge the German National Youth Film Festival the year after he won.

With interests including military history, political science, and stranger-than-fiction history, many of the film ideas he has in his thick, doodle-filled notebooks are based on actual happenings. Samuel also appreciates video games and anime, and is influenced by classics like "Little Nightmares", "The Stanley Parable", and "Perfect Blue" as much as by "Dr. Strangelove", "Psycho", and "The Dark Knight".
Contact: pinksealproductions@icloud.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"Write what you know" — I certainly took this old advice to heart for "The Grate Director". Although it isn't autobiographical, the protagonist is a lot like me: plagued by ADHD and overly ambitious projects, choosing to plow ahead one day at a time. This short film tells the story of my love/hate fascination with filmmaking, hoping that both other filmmakers and other ADHDers may recognize some of the humorous situations with a rueful chuckle.