What does it take to get your independent short film selected for the San Diego Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival?

This week, we sit down with Mauricio Dzierwa, writer and director of Inner Child, and VFX artist Joshua Allen to discuss their ambitious independent short film ahead of its San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) screening. We explore how Inner Child evolved through more than twenty screenplay drafts into a genre-blending adventure that combines live action, Minecraft, LEGO animation, and cinematic visual effects.

We dive deep into the filmmaking process, including writing for visual effects, using Blender for animation, creating realistic Minecraft cinematography with shaders, and overcoming the challenges of producing a visually ambitious student film on a limited budget. Mauricio and Josh also share how careful planning, collaboration, and a passion for storytelling helped bring the project to life.

Beyond the technical side, we discuss the excitement of premiering Inner Child at San Diego Comic-Con, what it means for independent filmmakers to be recognized by one of the world’s biggest pop culture events, and how film festivals like SDCC can help launch new creative careers. Mauricio also opens up about his love of Star Wars, why he watches Revenge of the Sith before every production, and how George Lucas continues to inspire his filmmaking.

If you love San Diego Comic-Con, independent filmmaking, visual effects, Blender, Minecraft, animation, behind-the-scenes filmmaking, or discovering the next generation of filmmakers, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Join us as we celebrate creativity, ambition, and the journey of bringing an original vision from script to the big screen at SDCC.