John DeFilippo

On their way home, an affluent couple hear a desperate cry for help in the dead of night.

A fresh-out-of-college couple move into their first apartment together where they are greeted by their elderly landlord. Her unusual behavior causes the boyfriend to forego his responsibilities in favor of stalking her, eventually uncovering a secret cult hidden right beneath his feet.

Occam’s Beard is an award-winning psychological thriller centered on a tense therapy session between a former child actor and his longtime psychiatrist. What begins as a routine appointment gradually unravels into a confrontation over memory, identity, and the stories people create to survive emotional trauma. Through fragmented flashbacks and shifting perspectives, the film explores the instability of memory and the danger of overly simple explanations in both psychology and human relationships. As buried truths emerge, the boundaries between perception and reality begin to blur for both men. The screenplay received Best Short Screenplay honors at the Big Apple Film Festival, was named a Top 10 finalist for the Filmmatic InRoads Fellowship, and in June 2026, was awarded Best Short Screenplay at the Cannes Film Awards.

A hustler meets the one mark in the world he can't beat.

A young, independent couple struggles with the understandings of their relationship