Experiencing Interruptions?

Value Undetermined

A routine evaluation takes a chilling turn when a people-pleasing sales agent realizes she's interviewing for more than just a job.

  • Jess Blackwell
    Director
    Guilty Pleasures, The Nook
  • Jess Blackwell
    Writer
    The Nook, Guilty Pleasures
  • Steve Chambers
    Writer
    The Wishing Tree, Maybe Tomorrow, The Nook, Seeker
  • Jess Blackwell
    Producer
  • Jess Blackwell
    Key Cast
  • Edmond Clark
    Key Cast
  • Onno Weeda
    Director of Photography
    Son of a Critch, The Umbrella Academy
  • Tim Blackburn
    Editor
    Burns Point, Blown Away
  • Hayley Scott
    Production Designer
  • Brad Tigwell
    Re-Recording Mixer
    Code 8
  • Vanessa Hannah
    Sound Editor
  • Bret Higgins
    Composer
  • Sean Henderson
    Colorist
  • Lara Jannin
    Hair & Makeup Artist
  • Max Gleiser
    1st Assistant Director
  • Nicholas Legault
    Sound Mixer
  • Tianyi Zhang
    Still Photographer
  • Gavin Dickson
    Gaffer
  • Vasilis Glezakos
    DIT
  • Fancis Laliberte
    DIT
  • Dana McGee
    Key Grip
  • Barbara Sanchez
    1st Assistant Camera
  • Dem Quintero
    2nd Assistant Camera
  • Bo Urbina
    Grip
  • Tony Tam
    Grip
  • Jezabel Bamberg
    Script Supervisor
  • Jenna Schaefer
    Production Coordinator
  • Justin C. de Leon
    Production Assistant
  • Lauren Wagner
    Production Assistant
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 20, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jess Blackwell

Jess Blackwell is a queer British-Canadian actor, writer, and filmmaker operating out of Hamilton and Toronto, Canada. As the founder of Lumida Productions, she is passionate about bringing to life women-led narratives that are as thought provoking as they are engaging.

Thematically, Jess loves to examine the core of what it means to be human. With a background in philosophy, she continues to find themes such as identity, communication, self-development, interpersonal (dis)connection, and the creation of meaning and purpose especially compelling. As a director, Jess loves to combine grounded, nuanced performances with supernatural elements and more than a dash of humor.

Jess has won several awards for her on-screen performances, while the films she has produced and written have also received accolades, including best film nominations and wins. She is the Communications Manager and Membership Chair for WebSeries Canada, the Head Programmer for T.O. Webfest, and an active mentor through WIFT+ Toronto.

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Director Statement

Value Undetermined is an exploration of the work systems we keep fueled, often at the cost of our own well-being and fulfillment.

For years, I worked a full-time corporate job while trying to pay down my student debt. I went in with the mentality that it was temporary: a necessary evil while I was struggling to make ends meet in a city that can be ruthlessly unaffordable.

But looking around, I saw colleagues who had been saying the same thing for twenty years. I quickly realized the "temporary" nature of the job was a myth shared by everyone there. The most terrifying moment was watching my boss—once a creative dreamer—succumb to the very prestige he used to mock.

I escaped (for now), but many don't. And on my way out, I had to train my replacement, setting someone else up for the same existential anguish I was fleeing from.

Value Undetermined explores this modern trap: a system that ensures our biological survival while demanding the sacrifice of our lived experience and a deeper sense of purpose. It examines how we’ve stripped meaning from life—and even from the afterlife—to serve a cycle of endless labor in which productivity is prioritized over personhood.

Early in the creative process, I realized that the visual motif of white arches was essential to this story, both as a symbol of transition and as an aesthetic component. I envisioned a space that was equal parts ethereal and practical, blending familiar elements of corporate office spaces with the calm, neutral beauty of somewhere beyond. Of course, moments of humor were essential too. After all, how else can we cope?

-Jess Blackwell, Director, Producer, Co-Writer