Occultas Personas - a film by Mert Birer

Hello,

My name is Mert Ali Birer, and I’m a filmmaking student at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be directing my thesis film next year—an ambitious psychological thriller titled Occultas Personas, set to be a gripping exploration of ambition, paranoia, and the fine line between reality and performance.

The screenplay for Occultas Personas begins with a gripping and disorienting sequence that plunges the audience into chaos, intrigue, and terror from the start. A mysterious POV reveals a blood-soaked stage, a dead body, and an ominous atmosphere.

The narrative then rewinds to moments before the catastrophe, where Jason, the protagonist, is performing on stage in a black box theatre. The tension escalates as an audience member disrupts the performance, and the lights suddenly cut out. When they flicker back on, Jason's co-actor, Liam, is discovered dead with a Tony award lodged in his neck. The audience, eerily unaware, applauds, mistaking the horror for theatrical art.

Chaos ensues as Jason struggles to comprehend the unfolding events. Another character, Elliot, accuses Jason of murder before succumbing to his own brutal demise. As panic spreads among the cast and crew, Jason begins to piece together cryptic clues scattered throughout the theatre, including a mysterious script that eerily mirrors the group's real-time ordeal.

Amidst the turmoil, Jason identifies symbolic connections between the cast members and nicknames in the script. The environment becomes increasingly surreal, with fog, blood-stained messages, and chilling spotlights heightening the tension. The deaths continue, each staged with horrifying creativity, leading Jason to believe that someone among them is orchestrating the macabre spectacle.

The narrative explores themes of ambition, paranoia, and the breaking point between performance and reality. As Jason tries to unravel the mystery, he battles the fear of his own unraveling mind and the looming question: is he merely a player in this dark game, or its unwilling mastermind?

Occultas Personas combines psychological horror with elements of meta-theatre, challenging perceptions of truth and fiction while keeping the audience on edge.

Thank you for considering joining us on this journey!

https://shoutoutla.com/meet-mert-birer-cinematographer-actor/