Q&A with Filmmaker Sam French, Director of Fantasy Life
Fantasy Life • World Premiere • BFF 2026
In Sam French’s World Premiere short Fantasy Life, a Brooklyn couple moves through farmers markets, baby showers, and house parties after an unexpectedly revealing admission opens a new fault line in their relationship. The 11-minute romantic comedy, written by Thomas Constantine Moore, finds tenderness, irritation, and persistence in the everyday work of staying connected.
French is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter, and director whose work ranges across theater and film. In the conversation below, he reflects on recognizing the story’s emotional center, making a project that felt unexpectedly personal, and the particular pleasures of creating with friends.
Tell us about the moment this film began for you.
One of my oldest friends and collaborators, Thomas Constantine Moore, sent me an early draft of his screenplay for the short. The relationship at the core of the story felt incredibly real to me right away—deeply loving and tender, incredibly stupid and petty, full of life and fight. I loved the trigger to their fight (no spoilers!) and thought it would be wonderful to follow them around for an entire day, watching them weave in and out of that fight, watching them weave around each other.
What scene, character, image, or idea was the key that unlocked the film for you?
There was a moment late in the script where one of the characters says (I'm paraphrasing) "I don't want to fight anymore" and the other responds "Great, let's not fight." I've had that exchange a million times with my wife and 999,999 times the thing that happens next is we continue talking. I instantly knew that was the heart of the story—continuing to engage, even when giving up feels easier. That's what makes it work.
Fantasy Trailer
Why did this story feel important for you to tell now?
I don't have a grand answer here other than it feels good to see personal stories on screen, to see what feels similar and what feels different from your own experience, and to be able to laugh at it all.
What was the biggest creative challenge or risk you took in making the film?
I think the scariest moment is always deciding to actually do it. Circling a date on the calendar and saying "Does that work?"... But this film ended up being a lot more personal for me than anything I've made before. That surprised me and scared me—because I usually direct my own writing and it was intimidating to try to find so much of myself in someone else's words.
Was there a point when you weren’t sure you would finish the film? What kept you going?
No—Thomas and I were committed, we had a wonderful team behind us, and we wanted to make something together. Make things with your friends. You won't want to quit.
What surprised you most about the film as it evolved from the original idea to the finished work?
How sweet it was! And how differently people of different ages saw the characters.
What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing the film?
Being in a relationship is weird. It's weird! Weird is good.
Has showing the film to audiences changed the way you understand it? If so, how?
We showed an early cut to a group of people and both Thomas and I were really surprised by how differently people felt about the main couple and if they should stay together.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to filmmakers just starting out?
Find people you have fun making things with.
What are you working on or developing next?
I write musicals! I have two in development right now—a dark Christmas comedy about a very hateful elf, and another about how the moon landing would have been faked (if that actually happened). I'm also developing several features.
What film, TV show, or other piece of storytelling did you see this year that you absolutely loved?
The Invite! Camp Miasma! This great play in the West Village called Dad Don't Read This.
If you’ve been to Bushwick the neighborhood, what do you love most about it?
I've lived in Bushwick for 12 years, so I can give you about 10,000 words on this subject. I love the artistic community, the diverse range of people living there, I love Mixtape and Eyval and Old Stanley's. I love that all of my best friends have lived there with me, some for all 12 years. I like running to Grover Cleveland (Ridgewood, but whatever). We filmed part of the short there and I got engaged there. Bushwick is the best place in the world and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
What does “Make Time for Your Dreams” mean to you at this point in your creative life?
No one makes time for you. You can't control much in your artistic career, much less your life, so you have to wrestle for it when you can, you have to advocate for yourself, you have to circle that date on the calendar and say "Let's do it then."
See Fantasy Life at BFF 2026
WORLD PREMIERE
Friday • October 9, 2026 • 10:00 PM
Between Us
Williamsburg Cinemas
A Brooklyn couple fights their way through farmers markets, baby showers, and house parties-- after a surprising admission from the boyfriend about his fantasies. "Fantasy Life" is a surprisingly sweet romantic comedy about never giving up on each other.
GET TICKETS → https://www.bushwickfilmfestival.com/tickets
The 19th Annual Bushwick Film Festival returns October 7–11, 2026, bringing filmmakers and audiences together for five days of independent film, conversation, and community across Brooklyn.
Sam French is a Brooklyn-based playwright, screenwriter, and director. As a theater artist, Sam is a former member of the Williamstown Theater Festival directing corp, a former Robert Moss Directing Fellow at Playwrights Horizons, a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference, and a finalist for the Richard Rodgers grant. His plays and musicals have been seen all over the city and regionally.
SEE IT AT BFF 2026
Fantasy Life
NEW YORK PREMIERE
Friday, October 9
10:00 PM
Between Us
Williamsburg Cinemas
GET TICKETS
10:00 PM
Between Us
Williamsburg Cinemas
