Short Film
Thriller / Suspense / Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Psychological Thriller


Short Film

Echoes
23:03
May, 2026
United States
United States (Westchester County, NY)
United Kingdom, Chile
English
Digital
Color
Cinemascope - 2.39:1
DCP(2K)
HD / 2K(2048x858) / 4K(4096x1716)
English - Descriptive English Subtitles

Sam finds himself walking aimlessly in a snow covered forest. He’s donned in a long robe and red cloth wrapped around his face. A heavy stone hangs from his neck. He removes the cloth from his face and continues walking in hopes to understand what is happening and why he is in this ethereal place. Eventually Sam comes across a Guide. An older looking man who seems to be leading other robed strangers through a mysterious door. The Guide sees Sam and instinctively, Sam runs. Sam runs until he finds himself in the backyard of his home. Through the window Sam witnesses his own murder. The Guide reappears and takes Sam to the afterlife.
Sam finds himself wandering aimlessly through a haunting, snow covered forest, wearing a robe and a red mask and carrying a heavy stone. A mysterious Guide discovers Sam and calls out to him, but Sam panics and runs away. Ultimately, Sam finds himself outside his house, looking in on a fatal argument between him and his friend. The guide reappears and takes Sam to the afterlife.
Sam finds himself lost in an ethereal, snowy forest until a mysterious guide sees him and Sam flees. Sam runs until he reaches a house, in which he witnesses his own murder and the Guide takes him to the afterlife.
Sam travels through an ethereal, snow covered forest searching for its meaning. After running away from a mysterious Guide he ends up at his house and witnesses his own murder.
For a long time, in capitalist societies, society as a whole has been distorted by the desires and financial power of specific groups, called "Devils which pretend to be Human". In this distorted and unbalanced society, individuals are exhausted and filled with self-interest, believing that it's enough as long as they and their families are well off. People are desperate to obtain security for their lives. Furthermore, in today's social media world, there are many people who pretend to be altruistic.
The deceivers and the deceived—this dynamic will likely remain unchanged in the past, present, and future. Those who are deceived and suffering may not even realize it. Moreover, there is infighting and mutual denial among those who are continuously deceived without understanding the overall structure.
There are seven basic desires: appetite, sexual desire, sleep, and the desires for survival, laziness, pleasure, and recognition. Desire breeds even deeper desires, leading to jealousy, theft, lies, escape, concealment, betrayal, and so on. Excessive desire will eventually become a sin, and the time will come when one will be punished.
This film was created as a film that explores human desire and punishment through the death of one man, incorporating a religious perspective. We are neither religious figures nor philosophers. As ordinary citizens exhausted by society, we want to think about sin together. How you feel about this film is up to you, but we hope that you will at least become aware of the existence of Devil that always stays with you.

DIRECTOR / CAST
Masataka Ishizaki...JAKE
Masataka Ishizaki is a SAG Japanese American actor and director born in Boston, MA, raised in Takatsuki city, Osaka, Japan. He appears in movie "ANIMA"(2026) at SXSW. And as of Movie "Green Grass" he won Best Actor in The New York International Films Infest Festival, Honorable Mention best actor in New York International Film Awards 2023, and RED MOVIE AWARDS 2023 for his starring feature Film “Green Grass”. And his short film “BiodiverCity” won Best Conspiracy in the New York Sci-Fi and Horror Film Festival 2024.

CAST
Andrew Kelly...GUIDE
Andrew Michael Kelly born and raised in New York. Off Broadway, feature films, Indie films, member of Actors Equity (the theater union). Worked on music videos with Ariana Grande, Addison Rae and A$AP Rocky and Tim Burton. Tv commercials for Puma and H&R Block. Presently nominated for a Webby Award working with Alexis Bittar and Emmy Award winner Chris Klimovski.

SOUND DESIGNER
Cristian Arias
Chilean sound engineer. He studied in Chile, then traveled to Buenos Aires Argentina to specialize in sound post-production. He has been developing as a sound designer and location sound mixer in different productions for film and television. In 2018 he founded his own company focused on sound services called Beep (@beepsonido).
SamEdward Raniola
JakeMasataka Ishizaki
GuideAndrew Kelly
BeccaKristin Raniola
Sinner ACollin Sattler
Sinner BMatt Weeks
Sinner CGiovanni Raniola
Executive ProducerSOPHIE SUOS
ProducerEDWARD RANIOLA
Script AdvisorSUGURU MINAMI
Art DirectorKRISTIN RANIOLA
Prop MasterEDWARD RANIOLA
GafferEDWARD RANIOLA
Sound Recordist, ProductionBorninbostonFilms
Digital Prop Production byENPITSU LLP
Poster & Web Design byVICENTE VICENTEE.COM
Sound Design byCristian Arias
Sound Post Production
Screenplay byMASATAKA ISHIZAKI, EDWARD RANIOLA
Director of PhotographyMASATAKA ISHIZAKI
EditorMASATAKA ISHIZAKI
DirectorMASATAKA ISHIZAKI, EDWARD RANIOLA
Mount Kisco
Westchester County
New York
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