BIRDCALL
Beginning with a family-friendly PSA video, Justin Calandriello‘s Fantasia 2026 short BIRDCALL immediately sets your brain on bothered mode. This analog survival horror is undeniably captivating.
Four minutes and thirty seconds into the fifteen-minute run, audiences will seethe with pure hatred at Birdcall’s male protagonist, John. The selfish misogyny of this hyper-toxic asshole playing God with an experimental viral antidote to what can only be described as a mutated bird flu virus is blood-boiling.
Vassiliki Gicopoulos delivers a perfectly vulnerable portrayal of a clearly abused woman, perhaps finally coming to terms with her life path. Sam Beaton is spectacular as John. Incredibly punchable in his narcissism, you will love to hate him. He gives off a real serial killer meets incel vibe, which is a total compliment.
A mix of personal videos and security cam footage, Birdcall’s progressively disgusting FX makeup by Catherine Hamel will make you gag. Calandriello’s editing is a wonder, with strategic cuts from awkward angles allowing the imagination to fill in the gaps from actions just beyond the frame.
Halle Kott‘s screenplay drops tidbits of a lush backstory that one could endlessly analyze on a rewatch. Don’t you dare disassociate during the credits.
Director
Justin Calandriello
Producer
Sam Beaton, Justin Calandriello, Halle Kott
Writer
Halle Kott
Cast
Sam Beaton, Vassiliki Gicopoulos
Cinematographer
Joshua Popovski
Sound Designer
Xavier Oshinowo
Editor
Justin Calandriello
Special Effects
Catherine Hamel
Production Designer
Dina El Sabbagh
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