I make films that fall between genre and arthouse.

I’m currently finishing the feature Dark My Light, a tropical revisionist sci-fi drama and thriller for the modern age, for a 2024 release.

In summer 2023 I co-directed, produced, and starred in the feature film Genoa. Shot in the city of the same name, the film is a surrealist take on fatherhood. It’s also a family affair - my wife Katerina produced, and our daughter Petra stars in it.

My short films have screened at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, Cinequest, Philadelphia Film Festival and many more.

When I was younger, before I ever thought of film, I wanted to be a poet. I was a terrible poet, but I still write all the time. My screenplays have placed in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, Slamdance, Austin, Final Draft Big Break, and American Zoetrope.

I love teaching like I love filmmaking. I’m currently an Assistant Professor of Directing at Temple University. Prior to that I taught at Prague Film School. I love film history and cinema studies, too, and I hold out hope that all of my students will become as obsessed with Happy as Lazzaro as I am.

In 2022 I launched Wandering Cinema with my wife Kat and filmmaker and friend Mika Johnson. Wandering Cinema is an annual film retreat designed for participants to absorb new ways of thinking of cinema in unique surroundings. The inaugural event took place in Italy, and our second year was in Spain.

Alongside my film work, I'm a father, runner, scotch enthusiast, music lover with no talent for music, and baseball fan. Whether doing some or none of these, I like to spend time with Kat, our daughter Petra, and our dog Ike.

Wandering Cinema

An annual filmmakers' retreat in which participants are invited to look beyond the surface of cinema.Founded in 2020 by Neal Dhand, Mika Johnson and Kat Dhand. More info at www.wanderingcinema.com.

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An annual filmmakers' retreat in which participants are invited to look beyond the surface of cinema.
Founded in 2020 by Neal Dhand, Mika Johnson and Kat Dhand. More info at www.wanderingcinema.com.