We haven’t had a chance to talk all weekend, reminisce.
I feel like you’ve been,
I don’t know,
avoiding me?
In a dark forest, Jack flees an unseen presence that seems to be closing in on him. When he unexpectedly encounters his old friend Sam, they join forces to navigate the night and escape the entity known as “The Smother.” They move deeper into the woods and Sam reflects on their shared past, while Jack resists revisiting old memories. Tension builds as the threat draws nearer and the truth begins to surface. As fear intensifies, it becomes clear that something far more intimate lies at the heart of their encounter.
The Smother
The Smother is a short film directed by Ben Kadie, originally conceived for Public Assembly, a monthly showcase of original one-act plays. Following its stage debut, Ben collaborated with writer Ciara Ni Chuirc and producer Leigh Adler to adapt the piece for the screen.
An innovative director whose work combines technical wizardry, surreal whimsy, and rich emotional storytelling.
Ben was born and raised in Seattle. He moved down to LA at 18 to earn a BFA in film production from USC. Since then, his short films have screened at more than 200 festivals around the world and his music videos have been viewed over a million times online.
Ben wants to make movies that connect through empathy and advocate for social justice and equality… and to shoe-horn puppets into as many projects as possible.
CIARA NI CHUIRC
Ciara’s plays include MADE BY GOD (Off-Broadway), JUGGERNAUT, AFGHANISTASIA, FERNS, and SURE THIS IS IT. Her work has been performed and developed in Dublin, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New York.
She is a recipient of the Inkwell Development LAB Lerner Fellowship, 2024, and a Theatre Project Award, 2022, from the Irish Arts Council. She has an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University. THE SMOTHER is her first short film.
LEIGH ADLER
Leigh is a producer with professional experience in management consulting and marketing. She ensures that projects reach their fullest expression by unknotting logistical and creative challenges and by building the collaborative environments that enable artists to develop their best work.
She has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a dual degree in Law and Art History from the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), equipping her with a unique combination of skills and perspectives that add value to projects.
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