How did events of 2020—any of them—change your film, either in the way you approached it, produced it, post-produced it, or are now thinking about it?

The events of 2020 clearly had a major impact on all of us, from the pandemic to the racial unrest protests and all the way to one of the most divided US elections I have ever seen. If I have to filter it within the context of my film, it’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster with a very contrasting set of emotions. On one hand it was one of the darkest years in recent history yet on a personal and creative level it was one of the best years of my life. Finishing my first feature film and having it selected to the official selections of both Cannes and Sundance film festivals was like a beacon of light in tumultuous times. It feels strange to accomplish your dreams in such times. It made me revisit and reconsider some of the themes that I was exploring with the film, like the dangers of silence and the consequences of the unspoken. It also recontextualized ideas of confinement. After being quarantined in our homes for most of the year you can’t help but see things anew and to reshuffle your priorities. John and the Hole definitely gained a new dimension.

(Check back daily during the festival — new answers are uploaded on the day of each film’s premiere. Read all the responses here.)