Mark Balunis

Crisis Hotline

Mark Schwab

Pano Tsaklas, Corey Jackson

A cynical counselor at a crisis hotline finds himself in a life or death situation when a young man calls and threatens to kill three people and then himself.

S.E.R.P.

Mark Schwab

Mark Balunis, Robert Sean Campbell

When the search engine he designs answers "yes" to the question "is the government of the United States evil?", a brilliant computer programmer is arrested and held in isolation. Desperate, but keenly aware of the answer's potential effect on the public, the programmer strikes a deal with his interrogators, agreeing to re-design the software in exchange for his freedom. As they search to understand why the program answered an ethical question and try to find a way to change its response, the faith and patience of both the programmer and his captors are put to the test. Suspenseful and darkly comic, S.E.R.P. is a film about coercion, innovation, and whether it is possible to do something good in the service of something evil.

Walk-In

Mark Balunis, Peter OHara

Made for just $500 in 2000 as the first feature film under the Diamond in the Rough Films banner, "Walk-In" is a spiritual take on "My Dinner With Andre". Brandon Carpenter - committed capitalist and deal-maker - suffers a near fatal car crash on the day he is supposed to close the biggest money making scheme of his career. But the deal stalls when he is in a coma and pronounced brain dead. His wife keeps him on life support for 2 months which results in Brandon awakening from the coma perfectly healthy. It's a miracle. But is it? https://vimeo.com/125171803

The Last Time I Saw Soap

Mark Schwab

Mark Balunis

"The Last Time I Saw Soap" was inspired by the hard-edged character films of John Cassavetes. The story centers on four friends as they return from the funeral of another friend who has died suddenly from a brain trauma. Throughout the day and evening, we observe these four different types as they desperately attempt to "live it up" in honor of their dead friend. However it soon becomes obvious that these people have been so numbed by virtual technology and social media that they have forgotten how to interact on a regular human level. The evening soon unravels into drunkeness, anger, and sexual hang-ups involving some ill-hired prostitutes.