Tastemaker
Drama
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Drama, Short Films, 08-Sep-2026
As a technology company uses human spies to generate suggested content, one data analyst struggles with a matter of musical taste. Eli Speigel directs “Tastemaker,” a satire set in an alternate reality dystopia where a man finds it hard to believe that a fan of the musician Tim Buckley would not also enjoy Scott Walker. Two friends chat in their living room. One of them plays an album by Tim Buckley, a 1960s singer/songwriter. After the album ends, the music streaming app automatically queues a song by Scott Walker, another 1960s musician. Little do they know, a data analyst from “Dataseed” listens from the other end, quietly fuming as the strangers rant over the song choice. The analyst spirals, tracking the two men down in the real world, only to end up in a bizarre confrontation of his own with Dataseed CEO Stella Conway. Speigel taps into something oddly suspenseful, utilizing a cinematic aspect ratio and eerie score. It’s a commentary both comedic and relevant that packs a thrilling punch. -JM. Director: Eli Speigel. Cast: Henri Faberge, Kyle Patan, Nadine Djoury, Josh Hendel, Stella Conway. DP: Julian Lomaga, Nikita Brusnitsyn. Editor: Eli Speigel.
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