Runner

2025 (Runtime 14:00)
Budget: $3200

About the Film

Longline: When an injury prone runner suspects his wife's infidelity he must not use a permanent solution to fix a temporary problem.

Synopsis: Tom, an injury prone runner, thinks his wife, Kay, is cheating on him with, Johnny, his boss. Tom drowns in thoughts of betrayal and how life has taken his future from him as his best friend, Scott, tries to talk him out of doing something he would regret. But with all the hurdles life has put in front of him Tom can not let go the pain of losing the last good thing in his life.

Director's Statement: I wanted to craft a short that used multiple locations and told a nonlinear story to test our small inexperienced crew’s grit and determination. For a few, it was their baptism by fire, and I’m really proud of the work they accomplished. The short explores feeling like a failure, as if the world was out to get you, and not accepting accountability. I wanted the short to be a dark, tense film that leaves the audience reflecting on their own actions and make them pause before they commit.

Extra: Runner is an idea that is about a decade in the making, with a failed production that put it into hiatus until late 2024.

With the addition of Dan Cuthbert and Cliff Phillips as writers and Michael O'Malley as a producer, this short film served as their film school. It was an ambitious multi-location, multi-weather shoot that worked out really well.

Thanks to everyone you voted for Runner as part of the Various Artists Independent Film Festival. We end the voting period at 108 votes. We will update more as we hear back from VAiFF and other festivals.