Parity Pipeline

Parity Pipeline

The Watcher's Game

Directed by Maria Allred

Chicago 2030. People merging with tech. Smart cities, self-driving cars, drone home-deliveries, and individualized, living adverts are the norm.

Investigative reporter Joseph Altman is called onto the story of the assassination of notorious VR creator-turned-spiritual-guru Akira Sakamoto, or “the doctor.” Serendipitously, Joseph’s ex-girlfriend Rose was involved with his community when she mysteriously disappeared with only a note to live on a commune in Tennessee.

Joseph discovers that t...

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Genre

Synopsis

Chicago 2030. People merging with tech. Smart cities, self-driving cars, drone home-deliveries, and individualized, living adverts are the norm. Investigative reporter Joseph Altman is called onto the story of the assassination of notorious VR creator-turned-spiritual-guru Akira Sakamoto, or “the doctor.” Serendipitously, Joseph’s ex-girlfriend Rose was involved with his community when she mysteriously disappeared with only a note to live on a commune in Tennessee. Joseph discovers that the doctor was using VR nanotech skin patches to help the community members “awaken.” And being a fervent in-depth investigative reporter (with addictive tendencies), Joseph of course opts, albeit reluctantly, to try the patches himself. This sets him on a phantasmagoric journey. This technology is highly sought after by many parties and his investigation is thwarted at every turn. As he seeks to discover the doctor’s murderer he stumbles into a much deeper excavation—about the nature of reality itself.

Bio

Maria Allred is an award-winning filmmaker interested in pushing cinematic boundaries, both with content and technique, while keeping the audience entertained. Her "unapologetically bold" debut feature film, The Texture of Falling, garnered multiple awards during its festival run and then went on to a theatrical release across four major U.S. cities. Prior to directing her feature, she had three short films with television premieres on PBS. One of which became a part of a 30-minute episode, “Art Beat Goes to the Circus,” that was nominated for an Emmy. Currently, she is writing the screenplay for her sophomore feature, psychological thriller-fantasy/sci-fi, The Watcher’s Game, under the mentorship of the Stowe Feature Film Campus. Development is planned for spring 2024. Since childhood, Allred has passionately studied painting, poetry, philosophy, and various forms of dance. Not coincidentally, her filmmaking is poetic, painterly, and philosophically-driven. She graduated summa cum laude from Portland State University with a BS in liberal studies. Critic Maggie Stacu remarks, “What she has created is, simply put, one of a kind. Not only that, but it’s poignant to our time."

Awards History

Stowe Feature Campus 2023 - Official Selection