An intimate evening between a film director and an escort is disrupted when a familiar face arrives. A very theatrical work that touches on many of the darker aspects of Hollywood stardom, a world of broken promises and crushed dreams. Fantastic performances, clever writing, and striking visuals keep it thoroughly engaging as it effortlessly bounces from uncomfortable to humorous, and from disturbing to full-on haunting by the end. Starfuckers is a brilliant and unpredictable take on a familiar theme, a riveting and progressively surreal indictment of a horrible industry-wide phenomenon unleashed by the rich and powerful.
Champs-Élysées Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize for Best American Independent Short Film
Community Partner
Antonio Marziale, Jonathan Slavin, Cole Doman
USA
2021
English
Featured in:
International Shorts: Having a Bad Day
Misadventures, bad choices, and a series of unfortunate events are all present in this program of short films. There is some serious drama and a bit of comedy on display in these exhilarating, thoughtful, and unpredictable tales.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Sirât
A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.
2026 Oscar® Shorts (Documentary)
Don't come to the program of Oscar®-nominated documentary shorts for escapism. But let's talk about the Canadian contender, Perfectly a Strangeness, featuring an abandoned observatory and three donkeys. More of this, please.
The English Patient
In the first of a new Film Studies series exploring literary adaptations, director Anthony Minghella tackles Michael Ondatje's challenging, poetic WWII novel about an enigmatic, badly burnt patient with a tragic past. Introduced by Patricia Gruben.
Credits
Executive Producer
Eli Raskin, Matthew Puccini, Charlotte Taschen
Producer
Eli Raskin
Screenwriter
Antonio Marziale
Cinematography
Matthew Pothier
Editor
Will Mayo
Production Design
Angelica Vasquez
Original Music
James William Blades, Taul Katz
Director
Antonio Marziale
Antonio Marziale was born in London, England and grew up in Switzerland. He graduated with a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University and has starred in Alex Strangelove (Netflix), Altered Carbon (Netflix), and just wrapped shooting on an upcoming Dark Horse Entertainment / Netflix show.
