Experiencing Interruptions?

i hope you're happy.

Under the shadow of the opioid crisis, four friends come together to grieve the loss of their friend to addiction. When more is revealed, tensions run high, anger and blame are reckoned with.

  • Gretchen Mahkorn
    Producer
    Intersection, Save All Who Dare, Off-Broadway Producing: Cherry Lane Theatre, Lynn Redgrave Theatre
  • Gretchen Mahkorn
    Director
    Intersection, Save All Who Dare, Off-Broadway Producing: Cherry Lane Theatre, Lynn Redgrave Theatre
  • Erika Kirkstein-Zastrow
    Writer
    Save All Who Dare
  • Erika Kirkstein-Zastrow
    Co-Director
    Save All Who Dare
  • Nikki Garza
    Key Cast
    Hysteria, Dynasty, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story
  • Jason Francisco Blue
    Key Cast
    Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Fear the Walking Dead: Dead in the Water, Dynasty, A House Divided
  • Aly Galbraith
    Key Cast
    Woodstock Arts, Hewlett Packard - Voiceover
  • Gretchen Mahkorn
    Key Cast
    Intersection, Save All Who Dare, Off-Broadway Producing: Cherry Lane Theatre, Lynn Redgrave Theatre
  • Marco Gutiérrez
    Director of Photography
    Tow, Apocalypse Rising: A Zombie Saga, Education: U. of Southern California, U. of Texas at Austin
  • Joshua Schmidt
    Composer
    The End (NEON - TIFF, Telluride, San Sebastian), Adding Machine - Off Broadway, Lucille Lortel Award, Midwestern Gothic - Signature Theatre, A Minister's Wife - Lincoln Center Theater
  • Chip Farnham
    Editor
    Miramax Films, Piel Canela, Woman of the House
  • Mattie Barnhart
    Script Supervisor / PA
  • Edward Guinn
    First Assistant Camera
  • Joshua Bedsole
    First Assistant Camera
  • Joshua Looby
    Second Assistant Camera / DIT
  • Jake Gravelding
    Sound Mixer
  • Cameron Gallacher
    Sound Mixer
  • Jason Davenport
    Post Production Assistant
  • Jay Batchler
    Post Production Support / On-Set Photographer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Relationship, Addiction
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 27, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital - Sony Venice
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Venice Shorts
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    Nominee - Best Female Director
Director Biography - Gretchen Mahkorn

DIRECTOR / PRODUCER:
Gretchen Mahkorn is an actress, producer, and filmmaker. Her first short film she co-produced/lead was accepted and screened at over 10 film festivals. In 2019, she was the Audience Engagement Coordinator/Filmmaker Liaison at the Windy City Film Festival in Chicago and in 2020 served as a juror for the Film Girl Film Festival in Milwaukee.

Her roots are in theatre where she co-founded and was Artistic Director of The World's Stage Theatre, where she produced over 25 productions - which included a world premiere at the Off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre. She also served as a Producing Artistic Associate at the Off-Broadway Lynn Redgrave Theatre in NYC at Culture Project.

She holds a BFA in Acting from U. of WI-Milwaukee. Additional acting training at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in their intensive, and the AIP at South Coast Repertory Theatre in California. continued film training includes various studios in Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

Founder & Creative Producer of OFM Productions.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"I was honored to work with an incredible team of diverse voices to tell this story around a very timely issue – addiction. As a female filmmaker, I’m drawn to unique viewpoints. This film is from the perspective of the loved ones left behind.

I felt compelled to tell this story because of our current drug crisis and the growing concerns around fentanyl related deaths. We read about celebrities who struggle with addiction and hear of the drug crisis happening in our own backyards.
According to the US Government – 136 people die every day from an opioid overdose.

This film doesn’t just look at the opioid crisis but puts personal faces on the ripple effects caused by those we lost. What it means to grieve and the complicated emotions of anger, blame, hope, and guilt surrounding it."

-Gretchen Mahkorn