Private Project

The Wanderer

The Wanderer follows Morana, an immortal woman searching for a dying man named Hopper, who lies shot in a desolate field. Eager to pass off her dark curse, Morana offers him a tempting proposition that could alter both of their fates. Their intense conversation leads them to a shadowy bar, where Hopper reluctantly agrees to the deal. However, everything shifts when Morana reveals that for the deal to be complete, he must shoot her in the heart. Confronted with this shocking moral dilemma, Hopper hesitates as Morana makes a desperate plea for him to go through with it. The Wanderer tackles difficult questions about assisted suicide while challenging traditional religious beliefs, reminding us that the afterlife is not confined to a single perspective.

  • Alice Kremelberg
    Key Cast
    "Morana"
    The Sinner
  • Cody Kostro
    Key Cast
    "Hopper"
    Mare of Easttown
  • Michael Lavine
    Director
  • Michael Lavine
    Writer
  • Michael Lavine
    Producer
  • Meg Murnane
    Producer
    Dogleg
  • Mott Hupfel
    Cinematographer
    Maggie Moore (s)
  • Ben Hozie
    Editor
    PVT Chat
  • Thomas "TAD" Doyle
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Fantasy, Gothic Noir
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 4, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival
    Porto Alegre
    Brazil
    April 12, 2025
    World
  • Sydney Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    June 10, 2025
    Australian
  • The Fantasy Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    June 13, 2025
    European
  • Port of Fear Festival
    Kenosha, Wisconsin
    United States
    October 3, 2025
    Us Premiere
  • Seattle Film Festival
    Seattle, WA
    United States
    September 24, 2025
    Best Director
  • FilmQuest
    Provo, UT
    United States
    October 23, 2025
  • Momoxca International Fantastic Fest
    Tiahuac
    Mexico
    October 24, 2025
    Mexican
  • Hell Chess Festival
    Madrid
    Spain
    March 26, 2026
  • Coney Island Film Festival
    Brooklyn
    United States
    March 30, 2026
Director Biography - Michael Lavine

Michael Lavine is an award-winning filmmaker and acclaimed photographer, known for visually compelling narratives and striking imagery. His latest short film, The Wanderer, a gothic noir fantasy starring Alice Kremelberg, is currently on its festival run, including a prestigious screening at the 72nd Sydney Film Festival in June 2025. His dramatic short, Weekend Away, starring Sophia Takal, has also been widely recognized at numerous festivals.
Michael has devoted recent years to creating The Dark Odyssey, an acclaimed series of metaphysical sci-fi stop-motion animated shorts screened at over 100 festivals worldwide.
Alongside his filmmaking, he has authored multiple feature-length screenplays. Earlier in his career, Michael became internationally renowned as a rock photographer, capturing iconic portraits of musicians such as Kurt Cobain, Notorious B.I.G., and Cher. His influential photography books, Noise from the Underground (Simon & Schuster)—featuring bands like Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and Soundgarden—and GRUNGE (Abrams), documenting Seattle's punk
scene of the 1980s, remain essential visual chronicles of the era.

Michael resides in New York's Hudson Valley.

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Director Statement

I’ve always wondered about the idea of an atheist angel. I was raised in a non religious household and as a kid, I was jealous of my friends who got to celebrate Christmas. I loved all the visual imagery of heaven and hell, but I wasn’t a believer and felt like I was missing out.
As a filmmaker, I’m drawn to myth-making. I thought it would be cool to invent my own version of the afterlife so I wrote The Wanderer. I wanted to tell a short story that challenged traditional religious beliefs in a thought provoking way and invite the viewers to come up with their own conclusions.
I also took it as a creative learning experience on my way to directing bigger stories. I love working with actors and bringing characters to life. As a photographer, I am obsessed with translating emotions through visually intentional lighting. As a writer, I am fascinated with the nature of dialect and I wanted to experiment with the notion of crashing very different cultural realities together. On a more personal level, I wanted to collaborate with the local talent here in the Hudson Valley. It was truly a dream come true.