CERTAIN THOMAS, the new short film from writer-director Henry K. Hwang, will premiere at Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. Set in a dystopian society governed entirely by flawless algorithmic systems, the film explores what happens when technological certainty replaces human judgement, following a young analyst whose unwavering belief in the system begins to fracture when its cold logic collides with his own moral and spiritual convictions.
Set within a totalitarian state where algorithms dictate every aspect of society, CERTAIN THOMAS examines themes of conformity, faith, morality, and the cost of progress. Rather than imagining a distant future, the film reflects the technological realities already shaping modern life, exploring the growing influence of artificial intelligence, algorithms, and automation on human judgement, free will, and what makes us human.
At a time when technology increasingly influences how people work, communicate, and make decisions, CERTAIN THOMAS asks what happens when society stops questioning the systems it creates and begins accepting technological authority as absolute. What if our blind societal obsession with constant progress, speed, and efficiency—assumed to bring us closer to a better world—actually breeds conformity to systems beyond our control, causing a slow erosion of our individuality, conscience, and creativity, ultimately moving us closer to a new kind of totalitarianism?
The film was written and directed by Henry K. Hwang, a South Korean New York-based filmmaker and founder of production company SPIRAL. He studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts as a Film & TV major. Hwang's work has screened at Oscar & BAFTA qualifying film festivals including Tribeca and HollyShorts, and he is currently developing CERTAIN THOMAS into a feature film with Oscar-shortlisted producer Scott Aharoni and his production company Curious Gremlin. Alongside his work in film, Hwang also directed the large-scale musical Stand or Die, Nak-dong River, starring K-Pop star Sunye and K-Drama star Elijah Lee, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and South Korea.
The film is produced by Scott Aharoni, co-founder of Curious Gremlin, whose recent producing credits include They Follow, The Testament of Ann Lee, The Chronology of Water, The Carpenter's Son, The Wrong Girls, and Our Hero, Balthazar. His work has screened at major international festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, and Tribeca, and he was recently invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The film stars Leon Schwendener, alongside Sean Weil, Toni Fazio, Juniper Renee Verdon, and Christopher Chan. The film's striking dystopian production design is by Martyna Kalata and Grace Musser, designers based in NYC, and the score is composed by Christopher Armstrong, a Juilliard-trained composer whose work spans film music and contemporary classical composition.
