Lisa, lonely and depressed, realizes the key to reconnecting with the people in her life may lie in the game she used to play as a child.

This is a low budget, female directed/written/produced darling of a short film made by an ambitious small crew of Montclair State students and alumni. This film was made on a budget of less than $4K and completed in June of 2020.

“This film, to me, is about reconnecting with the people most important to you. In the face of tragedy and mental illness, distance can grow in families and friendships and that gap can feel impossible to bridge. In this, a girl looks around and realizes she is tired of pushing people away. She uses a childhood game to try and rebuild those relationships, but her greatest challenge becomes whether she can come to terms with the fact that perfection in relationships—and games—simply might not exist.” -Director Dalton Snider-Smith

AWARDS:

NJ International Short Film Festival: BEST ACTRESS

WRPN Women’s International Film Festival: AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: STUDENT

Best of Shorts Competition: AWARD OF MERIT: WOMAN FILMMAKERS – STUDENT

Golden Short International Film Festival: GOLDEN STUDENT SHORT CATEGORY (Nominated) & GOLDEN ACTRESS CATEGORY (Nominated)

FESTIVAL ACCEPTANCES/SCREENINGS:

Media Film Festival
Venice Shorts
Garden State Film Festival
Golden Short Film Festival (2 Nominations)
Toronto Feedback Female Film Festival (TOFFFF)
Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival
Silver State Film Festival
Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition
Golden Door International Film Festival
Female Feedback Film Festival
NJ International Short Film Festival (Award Winner)
WRPN Women’s International Film Festival (Award Winner)
Best Shorts Competition (Award Winner)

Director Bio

Dalton Snider-Smith, 22, is an extremely ambitious college student, writer, and director. She’s been writing short, feature, and episodic screenplays from the age of ten. Fantasy Master is her official directorial debut, but she is already looking forward to her next project and beyond as she finishes her degree in filmmaking, a B.F.A. at Montclair State University.
In addition to writing/directing, she stays focused on her goals through freelancing as a non-union assistant director, production and camera assistant, photographer, and production coordinator. Notably in her freelance career she has thrived as a production assistant, working for Netflix, Blumhouse, Lionsgate, and other major studios. Dalton also has an extensive background in theater and comedic improvisation, having directed and performed in numerous productions. She especially loves to use what she learned as an actor to connect more deeply with the actors in her film. With her work she hopes to tell stories both personal to her yet universally relatable through emotional response.

Producer Brittany Zwier

Brittany is a producer with experience working in film, TV, and broadcast environments including her current role as a Coordinating Producer at Peloton Interactive Inc. With keen attention to detail and a knack for scheduling and organization, Brittany has produced dozens of independent and corporate-sponsored projects, specializing in short form media. Driven by a passion for making creative dreams a reality, Brittany takes great pride in investing in innovative and imaginative storytelling and is beyond proud to have assisted with the production of Fantasy Master.

Stills of FANTASY MASTER

Leah DeCecco – LISA GAINES

Leah DeCecco (LISA GAINES) – Leah DeCecco (Lisa Gaines) is competing their BFA in Acting at Montclair State University. Their credits include Moretta in “The Rover” by Aphra Behn (MSU) Funeral Director in “How ToMourn The Dead” by Eric Marlin (MSU) and Actor 5 in “We Are Proud to Present…” by Jackie Sibbblies Drury (MSU). They also have a background in comedy improvisation. They are incredibly proud and happy to be a party of “Fantasy Master”.

Joe Paul – JEFFREY GAINES

Joe Paul (Jeffrey Gaines) is a North Jersey actor, filmmaker and voice artist. Trained by legendary actor Richard Kline from the classic show “Three’s Company”. Joe has appeared on Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum” numerous times, as well as several independent projects.