Loglines:

When a heartbroken screenwriter seeks inspiration from his beloved DVD film commentaries, he magically summons a trio of indie filmmakers into his life. Real or imagined, Ryan’s cinematic heroes direct him through a Hollywood fairy tale where he hopes to find everlasting love and success.

Director Biography - Joel David Santner

Joel is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker. He has written and directed numerous shorts and the feature film, Directors' Commentary. Voodoo Macbeth (co-writer), is available on all streaming platforms. Joel’s scripts have been featured on The Black List and Red List and he’s a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Production Grant. He co-founded Pentameter Productions. Joel is a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. https://pentameterproductions.com/

Director Statement

Years ago I was at a personal and professional crossroads recovering from heartbreak and questioning my career choices. I was thirty and my Act I curtain was closing. I decided to teach myself filmmaking by watching DVD commentaries. During one fateful viewing of Clerks an incident stopped me in my tracks when Kevin Smith said, “Nobody listens to these unless they don’t have any friends.” If it wasn’t so funny it would have been depressing!

Numerous short films and one feature-length movie later I was staring at another crossroads – Covid, an industry in turmoil, and complete isolation.

After several projects that failed to take off, Daniel (my co-producer) and I were tired of waiting for permission. We committed to self-funding a feature on credit cards and day jobs. The result is Directors’ Commentary – uncynical, positive entertainment that hopefully leaves you inspired to pursue your dreams, whatever it may be.