Ex Disposer

Drama

Oct 8

Written By Mike Ambs

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A film by Daniel Ferrer

A destructively neurotic former drummer discovers his old band is returning home after a cross-country tour.

Nostalgic for his days behind the kit, Andy attempts to reunite with his bandmates, but first, he must confront the bad blood that was shed during his split from the group.

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Director’s Statement

"Ex Disposer" is a passion project of mine, five years in the making. It’s my most ambitious short film, conceived as both a creative calling card and a personal statement, and influenced by character-driven and slow-burning films in the styles of Paul Schrader, Mike Leigh, Wong Kar Wai, and Lynne Ramsay.

I pride myself on making deeply personal films. All of my films deal, directly or indirectly, with my experience living with clinical depression and anxiety. This is especially true in the case of "Ex Disposer", a version of which I began writing in 2012 after a two-week stay in a mental hospital. The script is a detailed psychological profile of a character, based heavily on myself, living with social avoidance and generalized anxiety. The film’s timeline is split between past and the present to address the long and short-term impact of these mental illnesses.

The film also aims to demystify the ‘tortured artist’ trope, depicting a more toxic relationship between mental illness and creative vitality, one that is more often ruinous than fruitful.

Written & Directed by
Daniel Ferrer

Produced by
Amelia Spitler

Cinematography by
Joshua Echevarria

Film Editing by
Samuel Mitchell

Music by
Ryan Yobs

Production Design by
Eric Tumolo

Key Cast
Jack DiFalco, Kumasi Hopkins, Jen Taher, Michael J. Burg, Joshua Torgerson, David LaMorte, Ryan Yobs

Updates

Q&A with Amelia Spitler

“Ex Disposer is about Andy’s daily battle to better himself against massive odds. He consistently is reminded of the worst thing he’s ever done to someone close to him. He wants to fix what cannot be fixed. But he tries.”

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Daniel Ferrer is a writer and director based in Northern New Jersey. As a lifelong lover of films, Daniel pursued filmmaking at Montclair State University. An open book on his struggle with clinical depression and anxiety, his body of work is often punctuated with stories and characters dealing with the conditions.

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Amelia Spitler is a writer, director, and producer. In addition to film production, she frequents the film festival circuit, coordinating festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and DOC NYC.