Producers Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing & Charlie Shackleton
A film about a film that was never made, this boldly original essay begins as an exploration of one man’s obsession with catching the Zodiac Killer but quickly unfolds into an anti-true-crime investigation into our cultural obsession with the genre. Against the backdrop of sun-drenched landscapes, deserted hallways, and empty homes, T/F alumni Charlie Shackleton guides us through the film his team would have made, projecting a speculative narrative into our imaginations with irreverent humor and razor-sharp precision. Zodiac Killer Project subverts the visual shorthand of evocative b-roll, “back-tors,” and slow zooms to dissect and playfully turn the now-pervasive genre on its head. A distinct and singular vision, this meta roller-coaster ride of a film is a richly layered examination of documentary ethics, implicating both filmmaker and audience. (CT)
