Screenplay · Semi-finalist
Flickers’ Rhode Island
International Film Festival
Still advancing · Further results pending
OPENTHE SKULL
“The violence-as-sacrament concept and the elevated, fable-like world recall the stranger end of A24 and Neon's catalogues, and with some development this energetic, singular piece would be a strong fit for either, or for a specialty label like Annapurna willing to back an auteur swing.”
A Nightmare Comedy.
A South Texas Boxing Story.
Feature film · In developmentA film by Caleb Short
01 / The film
About the film
Years after blinding his rival in the ring, a boxing prodigy haunted by his own capacity for violence is lured back by that same man: now a messianic small-town mayor with restored sight.
Open the Skull follows Jonny Foden in Sandsville, South Texas, where his failing family gym draws him back toward boxing and his preacher-grandfather’s doctrine of surrender. His bond with Ricky Santana, the rival he blinded, is at the center of a story about guilt, faith, and transformation.
Written & directed byCaleb Short
FormatFeature film
StageIn development
02 / Recognition
Screenplay recognition
Flickers’ Rhode Island
Screenplay · Semi-finalist
Outstanding Screenplays
Feature Film Competition
Screenplay competition recognition. Status as of October 10, 2026. Slamdance screenplay competition: awaiting submission results.
03 / The response
Screenplay reader coverage
Outstanding ScreenplaysFeature Film Competition
Selected category scores from an Outstanding Screenplays reader report
9/10Concept
9/10Originality
9/10Style
These are selected category scores from one reader report, not an overall or aggregate rating. The company comparisons are the reader’s assessment and do not imply involvement or endorsement by those companies.
“Eloquently styled, the violence is beautiful, strange, and meticulously choreographed, never gratuitous so much as liturgical, each blow part of a larger rite.”
“The voice of the writer demonstrates an ability to craft complex male characters who are compelling to follow.”
Slamdance · Submission feedback
“a striking way to make its ideas about surrender physical”
On the screenplay’s intercut ritual and surgery sequence.
“The violence-as-sacrament concept and the elevated, fable-like world recall the stranger end of A24 and Neon's catalogues, and with some development this energetic, singular piece would be a strong fit for either, or for a specialty label like Annapurna willing to back an auteur swing.”
04 / The filmmaker
Writer & director
Caleb Short
Caleb Short is a writer, director, and producer based in New York City. Born in New York and raised in Austin, Texas, he studied film and philosophy at Bard College and pursued further studies at Oxford University.
His films explore the sublime and the surreal. His work as writer-director includes Fell Awake (2022), Shadow of a Pale Moon (2024), Proper Disposal (2025), Zinnias (2026), and Seeking Horse (2026).
As writer, director, editor, and producer, Caleb won the Shorty Award for Through the Lens Of, SERHANT. Studios’ narrative film series. The series won the Real Estate category at the 16th Annual Shorty Awards in 2024.
He currently works as a director, producer, and editor at Bald Agency, creating commercials. He is also the co-founder of Causation Films, where he develops and produces commercial and music video work.
Alongside his filmmaking, Caleb’s acting work includes Eddy Fortson in the Amazon Prime Video series Ballard (2025) and a leading role in the feature Vigilance. He won Best Actor at the 2026 Allentown Film Festival for Proper Disposal, which he also wrote, directed, and produced. His performance in A Night in Bridge earned Best Actor awards at the 2024 Paris Film Awards and New York True Venture Film Festival.
Open the Skull, his first feature film as writer and director, is currently in development. Its screenplay has earned semifinalist recognition in the Outstanding Screenplays Feature Film Competition and Flickers’ Rhode Island screenplay competition.
“How do we confront the split within ourselves — light and shadow, violence and tenderness, ego and soul?”
05 / Inquiries
Production · Financing · Collaboration
Project inquiries
For project inquiries and screenplay requests,
get in touch with writer and director Caleb Short.