Genre Filmmaker Joshua M. Kellerman Wraps Production on Dystopian Eco-Thriller Short Film ‘The Lottery’
NEW YORK, NY - Emerging genre voice and recent Columbia University MFA graduate ('24) Joshua M. Kellerman is pleased to announce the completion of his latest film, The Lottery. Coming off the heels of his acclaimed horror short A Possession—which earned a prestigious slot at ScreamFest LA in 2024—Kellerman’s new work pivots toward the "not-too-distant" future to examine the intersection of climate disaster, algorithmic governance, and human desperation.
The Lottery introduces a world where the "Autonomous Recalibration Center" (ARC) manages humanity's survival through a system of lottery "Results." The film follows Sacha, a veteran government Science officer nearing the end of her pregnancy, and Andrea, a wide-eyed trainee, as they traverse a decaying urban landscape to deliver life-altering notices. These "Result Letters," determined by the impartial radioactive decay of Uranium-232, represent a world that has traded individual liberty for a mathematically "fair" collective survival.
“With The Lottery, we wanted to explore a world that has been engineered to be perfectly equal, yet feels profoundly hollow,” says Kellerman. “It’s a look at what happens when the logic of the laboratory is applied to the chaos of human life - our dreams, our fears, our individualities, and our futures. It's about a system which forces all people to be equal for the greater good. The problem is that people are all different, and differences are beautiful things we should respect, not eliminate.”
The film’s aesthetic—captured in high-contrast, moody cinematography by AFI graduate Praveen Elankumaran—mirrors the sterile Soviet coldness of the ARC against the grimy reality of a population living in the ruins of the old world. From robotic life-like parakeets, to billowing steam-stacks, the world-building in The Lottery draws on Kellerman’s unique dual background as both a cinematic storyteller and a high-level software engineer. His experience architecting complex systems for global tech leaders combined with a partial undergrad education at Science-Politiques:Aix in France informs the film’s portrayal of a world society governed by immutable, uncaring data.
The Lottery features a tense, claustrophobic narrative that culminates in a visceral confrontation between the deliverers and the delivered, questioning whether a "100% fair" system can ever truly be a just one. Kellerman explains that the short film was created as a Proof-of-Concept piece for his T.V. series teleplay pilot based on the same world, which was a recent Finalist at the Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards.
Following the completion of post-production, the creative team will begin to submit the short for its genre festival run, seeking to bring this timely exploration of eco-socialism and population control to film festivals worldwide.
"The Lottery" (15 min short) Written and Directed by Joshua M. Kellerman (Columbai Film MFA Directing '24) Produced by Abrar Qari (Columbia Film MFA Producing '24) Cinematography by Praveen Elankumaran (AFI Cinematography '22) Music by Alex Symcox
About Joshua M. Kellerman
Joshua M. Kellerman is an American filmmaker of Jewish descent, a writer, and an engineer who recently completed his MFA in Directing and Screenwriting at Columbia University. Known for blending taut psychological tension with technical precision, his work often explores the friction between human nature and the systems we build. His 2023 film A Possession was a featured selection at ScreamFest LA and New York Shorts International Film Festival. His previous films, including family comedy short "Be Gay Tomorrow" (2022) have shown at festivals on three continents.
For more information, production stills, or interview requests, please visit www.joshuamk.com for contact information.
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