FIRE AT WILL
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Morgan Gruer‘s Tribeca 2025 short FIRE AT WILL is one of the most relatable films to come out of this year’s program. In nine minutes, we witness a mother and father attempting to prepare their four children to sign their will with a notary who will soon be arriving at the house. Blindsided at every turn, the conversation does not go as anticipated.
FIRE AT WILL looks fantastic. Jared Levy‘s camerawork is most immersed and intimate. Kyle Moriarty‘s quick-take editing is perfect. The fast-paced dialogue filled with self-absorbed personalities is every kitchen table conversation featuring adult children and their parents. As the firstborn of four loud children in an Irish Italian household, I can attest to the authenticity in the chaos of Gruer’s script, right down to the mother storming out in emotionally exhausted dramatics and the unspoken connection between father and artistic daughter. The cast nails each ping-pong match beat. FIRE AT WILL is a spectacular treatment for a feature. I need to know what happens next.
Director: Morgan Gruer
Producer: Sandra Tan
Screenwriter: Morgan Gruer
Cinematographer: Jared Levy
Editor: Kyle Moriarity
Executive Producer: Kerri Mandelbaum, Rob Neft, Morgan Gruer
Associate Producer: Wendy Neft-Sanda, Sarah Zaccardo, Donald Milsten, Teddy Gruer, Hannah Gruer
Co-Producer: Justin Lacob, Nicola Smith, Sam Gruer, Naomi Milsten Gruer
Production Manager: Beatriz Barbieri
Production Company: Prom Creative
Sound Design & Mix: Calvin Pia, Felt Sound
1st Assistant Director: Darcy Thompson
Color Grade: Jared Rosenthal
Cast: Scott Cohen, Amy Stiller, Ellie Sachs, Lucas Zelnick, Rebecca Gever, Julia DiCesare
Directed by:
Brenton Thwaites i
This doc explores the boundaries we push for love and acceptance. Amit is a husband, a father, and business owner. She is also transgender. This story is about her transition and how it affects the family and friends that surround her. It’s a timely film here in the US as the government is attempting to legally discredit transgender identity by legally defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth. Amit has four children with her wife Galit. Daughter Agam is beyond wise for her years and the most vocal about their unique family dynamics. She understands that people’s ignorance is not her problem. She chooses to surround herself with open-minded peers. The emotional toll of transitioning seems endless. It has the highest highs and lowest lows. How does a marriage survive when circumstance completely changes? What happens after she goes to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery for a month? It’s not a glamorous film. It’s real, it’s honest. It’s exactly what people need to see. Family in Transition is a story of unconditional love and the ultimate sacrifices we make to become whole from the inside out.
presents
A film by Andrew Fleming
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Sieranevada takes a peek inside a grieving family and the reality of being stuck in a small space with the people you love and hate. Days after the death of the family patriarch and the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks, we find our cast gathered together to honor their beloved father. While they wait for the priest to arrive, we discover, little by little, the chaos, the meddling, the selfish, emotionally unstable ways that only your own family can throw at you all at once. Director Cristi Puiu, makes us, the audience, a fly on the wall for 3 solid hrs. This might pose a challenge for some viewers. The camera, mostly stationary, pans back and forth in place for extended periods of time, catching whispers, shouts, and much chain smoking predominantly from a hallway position. While the actors try desperately not to step on each other or wake the baby while they wait to eat once the elusive priest finally arrives. The dialogue is a beautiful mix of over the top arguments, manic bereavement, and laughter at internet conspiracy theories. It’s undeniably relatable. Only a big family dynamic can get your blood boiling and creative juices flowing for that long. 
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