Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Wizdom crafts a neon-lit, bionic future inspired by Chicago’s shadowy Lower East Wacker, blending heightened aesthetics with intimate human stories.
- The film explores themes of freedom and technology’s invasive grip, reflecting contemporary society’s dependence on devices like the iPhone.
- Independent filmmaking’s collaborative spirit and scrappy resourcefulness fueled this boundary-pushing sci-fi/fantasy thriller with queer and female-led voices.
Director Layne Marie Williams brings her visionary sci-fi short Wizdom to FilmQuest 2025, an immersive neon-drenched world where bionic implants blur the line between humanity and technology.
The film stars Ashton Swinford, Simone Brazzini, and Elizabeth Laidlaw, with a crew led by cinematographer Dan Franz and editor Mike Berg.
Rooted in Chicago’s enigmatic urban landscape, Wizdom is a collaborative creation from a diverse team including producers Ashton Giaume, Grace Hahn, and Aimy Tien.
What drew you to make Wizdom? Why this story, and why now?
At the time that the project was first conceived, I was living in Chicago and couldn't stop imagining what Lower East Wacker there would look like all lit up in neon. Lower East Wacker is a two-level underground roadway in downtown Chicago that is beneath the main Wacker Drive. Its purpose is to help with traffic congestion and it famously lacks natural light, any real signage, and absolutely no GPS signal—so it’s super confusing but important to your every day there. My friends and I would often drive through Lower East Wacker to get to set or late-night parties and I couldn’t help but imagine what a world would look or feel like if that was its main setting. How characters living in that kind of environment would come to be.
I’ve always loved heightened aesthetics with very human stories. The main characters at the heart of Wizdom are thieves living under the radar, they have not drank the Wizdom colony kool-aid so to speak, and are very much interested in maintaining their freedom of choice.
Today’s society is incredibly divisive, particularly because of the influence of the internet. Wizdom’s Lead Actor/Writer/Producer Ashton Swinford Giaume and I have always felt like at the core of Wizdom is the idea: what if your iPhone became one of your eyes. I wish I could say it didn’t feel like that was any kind of possibility but we are all so addicted to our phones at this point in our culture, it feels eerily more possible than ever.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
I definitely feel like I continue to learn that self-producing a project especially at this scale or level is tough work, it’s not for the faint of heart. You’ve got to really want it, love what you do in this business, and stay true to what you know the project needs. It’s all a collaboration with your team but you have to be crystal clear on how this thing wants to look, sound, what impression you hope to leave the audience with—and all at once be willing to let it go.
“Flexibility helps things grow into something more nuanced.”
I would say there were many moments both on set and in post-production that changed the way I saw the story. It goes from being just ideas talked about in a room to becoming something more and more developed, so naturally especially when you’re starting something like this from the ground up it’s going to evolve! And I love that. The more humans involved, the more it’ll evolve. I love when someone says something that I maybe hadn’t thought of before or brings a totally off-the-cuff idea to the table because even if that isn’t the idea you go with, it’s all still so worthwhile, and points you to where you need to be.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
I love the moment in the jewelry store scene where Eos looks into the neon triangular mirror (created by good friend Zac Hall) and says ‘Good things only happen when you’re bad’ before stealing a necklace she totally did not need to steal to make the drugs back at the lab with Vayle. It’s memorable, mysterious, sexy, and a little funny. I love a tongue-in-cheek moment.
“I love the moment in the jewelry store scene where Eos looks into the neon triangular mirror and says ‘Good things only happen when you’re bad.’ It’s memorable, mysterious, sexy, and a little funny.”
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
We originally had a cat character we painstakingly tried to make work on set, in post, and eventually had to cut. It was one of those moments where you know it’s for the best but you’re like ahhhh, maybe next time.
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
I hope that it leaves them talking, asking questions, and wanting more, more, more!
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
It’s always felt very much in my wheelhouse so I'd love to get to revisit these same characters and dig deeper into the full story in either the project as a full feature or episodic.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
Utilizing practical lighting as motivational sources for the neon lighting was something our DP Dan Frantz and I talked about and talked about until we were blue in the face. Our PD Jami Primmer and Gaffer Jon Benson really helped us achieve this look and it just reminded me of the significance of multiple departments coming together to problem solve. It only makes the work better!
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project? Is there a lesson or breakthrough you’d share with others navigating this path?
“Independent filmmakers are scrappy, we know how to stretch budgets, and do a lot with a little.”
That to me is such a great skill. We rallied the Chicago film community to get involved in this project and because of that you could really feel that energy on set. It definitely had the best vibes of all the sets I’ve worked on because everyone genuinely wanted to be there. That’s unique to indie filmmaking I would say, people really are there for the love of it all.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for FilmQuest, one of the world’s top reviewed genre film festivals?
It’s so exciting! This is a festival I’ve admired for a long time and felt like I would feel right at home at. It puts Wizdom in a more prestigious lane and we’re thrilled with that after years of giving so very much to this project.
FilmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking across fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and beyond. How does your film fit within—or push the boundaries of—genre storytelling?
Wizdom is at an interesting intersection of being a sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action, thriller…but also because of its satirical and comedic tone it pushes up against what audiences might think of for your typical sci-fi. We’re also a female, trans, and queer-led team both behind and in front of the camera and while we don’t address that specifically in this iteration of the project per se, it’s in the fabric of it all. We’re boundary pushing on all fronts by even trying to make a high concept indie.
Where do you see this film going next?
We want to make more of it. We really sought to position this film as a proof of concept that was strong enough it could have a short film or pilot festival life if desired. Our goal since day one has been to make a feature or series of it all.
“At the core of all my work is a desire to connect."
Cast & Crew
- Layne Marie Williams — Director
- Ashton Giaume — Producer, writer, lead actor
- Grace Hahn — Producer
- Aimy Tien — Producer
- Zack Sievers — Writer
- Simone Brazzini — Cast
- Elizabeth Laidlaw — Cast
- Dan Frantz — Cinematographer
- Mike Berg — Editor
Learn more about the film in their website.
