Hello Stage 32. First, a quick thank you to Ashley Renée Smith for recommending this lounge and helping me navigate the platform.
I’m Joe Alexander, a Film Director, DOP, and Creative Director based in Dubai running RSN8. My storytelling sweet spot is grounded drama and psychological exploration. My work focuses heavily on stripping away gimmicks and leaning into deep, authentic emotional conflict while prioritizing raw, interpersonal struggles over the usual conceptual traps.
I had a great 2025 on the festival circuit with my short films: Vera, What We Leave Behind, which tackled navigating grief in a performance-driven society, and DETERMiNED, which explored the sensory chaos of neurodivergence. Right now, I am scaling up and actively developing a character-driven web series. Also actively prepping up to go the full feature film route soon!
I joined this lounge to connect with folks who are actively building projects, and to discuss the realities of moving from short-form runs to episodic development.
While I'm here would love to talk shop about the directing process, specifically how you all work with actors to hit raw, vulnerable notes on set while maintaining a tight independent schedule. I'm always open to sharing my own experiences from production, reviewing materials, and expanding my network of globally-minded, grounded storytellers.
