CHASING NOTHING
Written & Directed by Ben Hands
Produced by Ethan Cartwright, Sador Zerie, & Ben Hands
After a terminal diagnosis, an aging musician finds himself drawn to a young busker — a stranger who may be the last real connection he has left.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Ben Hands is writer-director who began crafting screenplays at the age of 15. He later pursued formal training in his late 20s, studying directing and producing his first two short films during that time. His work is grounded in a deep understanding of the practical realities of filmmaking, shaped by an ongoing career as an Assistant Director.
His short film Chasing Nothing explores themes of disillusionment, mortality, and hope, drawing from personal experiences and marking a key step in his evolution as a filmmaker. Alongside his directing work, he continues to build a career in Assistant Directing while developing a feature screenplay for his next project.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH BEN
Welcome to our Weekly Pick series. Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
I started out writing screenplays at 15, long before I had any real understanding of how films were actually made. Later, in my late 20s, I went to university to properly pursue directing. While there, I produced my first two short films, which gave me the foundation and confidence to move forward with Chasing Nothing.
Alongside that, my skillset naturally led me into Assistant Directing, which has since become the backbone of my career.
Can you chat a bit about how you balance your time between AD’ing and pushing forward on your own projects as a director?
AD’ing has actually made me a far more conscious writer and filmmaker. It’s given me a strong understanding of the practical realities of indie filmmaking—budgets, time constraints, logistics—and that inevitably shapes how I approach my own work.
That said, it’s been a while since I last directed. Putting a short film together is incredibly time-consuming and expensive, so finding that balance can be challenging. But I’m very eager to get back into directing as soon as possible.
Tell us about the genesis of Chasing Nothing. Where did the idea come from?
Chasing Nothing came from a very personal place. It began with my own feelings of disillusionment as an aspiring writer and filmmaker, which formed the basis of the first verse of the song featured in the film.
Then, when my grandad was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, my perspective shifted. I felt compelled to explore themes of mortality and what really matters. The final act—built around the last verse of the song—brings those ideas together, aiming to leave the audience with a sense of hopefulness in the face of life’s most difficult moments.
How did you develop that idea into the short that’s now out in the world?
It was really about distillation. I took three key scenes from a larger feature screenplay and reworked them into a self-contained 15-minute short. The challenge was making sure those moments still carried emotional weight while functioning as a complete story on their own.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences. Did you experience much festival rejection? If so, how did you overcome that?
We’ve had some great festival screenings, along with a few award nominations and wins, which has been incredibly rewarding. Of course, I would have loved even more opportunities, but it’s an extremely competitive landscape right now with so many brilliant films out there.
Rejection is part of the process. You just have to accept it, learn what you can, and keep moving forward. Ultimately, it’s about resilience—rolling your sleeves up and going again.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Start small. Write a micro-short that you can shoot in a single day. Use that experience to experiment, make mistakes, and develop your craft in a low-pressure way—while still enjoying the process. Then build up to something more ambitious.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working across various projects as an AD, while also developing a feature screenplay that I’m really excited about and hope to bring to life in the near future.
