Thriller Short 'Alone' Wraps with Simmonds, Kotsur, DiMarco, Rashad; Feature Planned

Filmmaker Garrett Patten has wrapped production on the psychological thriller short "Alone," starring Millicent Simmonds, Troy Kotsur, Nyle DiMarco, and Phylicia Rashad, with plans to expand it into a feature film. The short, co-written by Patten and Tiziano Tucci, features a majority deaf cast and follows Simmonds as a deaf woman whose connection with a humanoid robot takes a dark turn. Principal photography concluded in Brooklyn, and the project is now in post-production. Produced by Patten, Tucci, and DFA's Brenda Linkous and Austin Lantero, the film explores themes of AI, isolation, and technology dependence. Patten expressed hope to develop the short into a feature with the same cast.