A Pacific Northwest park ranger, on two parallel searches—one for his runaway stepdaughter in the city, the other for something dark and unexplainable in the forest. Shot guerrilla-style in under 15 days using local talent, this latest experimental series pilot aims to explore how narrative and form for a Web3 era could be developed and distributed.

The Big Dark will have its PDX premiere at The Peculiarium’s Hangar 13—a film born from an actors' workshop, built around its cast, and shot with local talent over five months for a penny.

What started in Sasha Santiago’s actors workshops grew into a film that was cast through word-of-mouth, developed scene by scene, and shaped by the people and places that came into its orbit. Inspired by Mike Leigh’s character-driven process and John Cassavetes’ improvisational rehearsals, this was filmmaking without a safety net—crafted, adapted, and performed into existence.

The 45-minute pilot premieres March 12. Space is limited, grab your ticket here.