Join Max Timm, the ISA's Director of Education, as he discusses the step by step process of writing and producing an independent feature film with indie producer, Cosmos Kiindarius. With over 20 credits under his belt ranging from producer to assistant director to assistant to Michel Gandry, Cosmos has experienced just about everything a creative in this industry could...and then some.

Max and Cosmos will:

• Break down how writers can take charge of their careers
• Delve into the process of writing and producing an indie feature
• Discuss the budgeting process

Cosmos Kiindarius
Cosmos Kiindarius is an award-winning director/producer. A protege of David Fincher, Cosmos worked on Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He has also worked on productions for directors Marcus Nispel, Mark Pellington, Sean Thonson, and JJ Abrams. In 2016 he directed his debut feature film Stand, to draw attention to the global epidemic of land mines and unexploded ordinances. Cosmos produced the film Before the Sun Explodes, nominated for Grand Jury prize at SXSW in 2016 as well as Blush (FKA Imaginary Order) which was nominated in the Grand Jury category at Sundance in 2019. In 2020, Kiindarius partnered with visionary Producer Denis Oliver to direct and produce The Great Grass Race, a docu-series chronicling the daring journey of 5 teams racing across the United States on lawnmowers.

As a filmmaker, Kiindarius is drawn to stories rooted in real life that focus on the fringes of society; the marginalized people and issues, that are forced from mainstream social consciousness.

He is currently in development on several feature thrillers including Irezumi, and The Groves - penned by Doug Richardson. Kiindarius is in the early stages of pre-production to direct his next film Darlings, a psychological horror film set in the back country of Arizona and is attached to direct the high-tension thriller Run Til Dawn set in Taiwan.