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Logline

In a near-future where synthetic humans are leased, not born, a troubled artificial man becomes the center of a legal and psychological battle that will determine whether he is a person—or property.

Synopsis

The singularity has arrived—not as the violent uprising once predicted, but as a quiet internal battle within Antonin, a synthetic man struggling to function in a world that would rather deny his humanity than confront it.

After the sudden and mysterious death of the human who leased him, Antonin is thrust into a legal and psychological crisis that ignites a global media frenzy and threatens his very existence. In a divided future grappling with artificial life, his case becomes a lightning rod for debates over ethics, personhood, and control.

Protected under a rare sanctuary law, Antonin is granted temporary legal status not afforded to most Artificial Life organisms—but that protection is fragile and rapidly expiring.

With just seven days to determine his fate, Antonin undergoes evaluation by Dr. Harlow, a court-appointed neuropsychologist tasked with answering an impossible question: is Antonin truly sentient—or dangerously unstable?

In a world that increasingly values efficiency over empathy, Antonin’s “defects” may be the very thing that makes him more human than the society that seeks to erase him.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Michael Nardelli — Writer/Director/Producer
Michael Nardelli is an actor, producer, and Emmy-nominated director. He will soon reprise his role as Eric in Circles, the sequel to the Netflix cult hit Circle. Nardelli first gained recognition in Another Happy Day, directed by Sam Levinson and selected for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance, where the film won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. He is an Emmy Nominated director for his work on the Amazon Prime series Dark/Web. His work spans intimate character dramas and elevated genre, with a focus on emotionally grounded and psychologically complex roles. A graduate of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and School of Cinematic Arts, he also trained at The Groundlings in Los Angeles..

Peggy Rajski — Executive Producer
Peggy Rajski is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, producer, educator, and philanthropic leader. She directed Trevor, winner of the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and co-founded The Trevor Project after the film’s success. Across her career, Rajski has produced multiple award-winning features, served as dean of Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, and became the inaugural head of studies for NYU Graduate Film’s creative producing program. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America, Film Independent, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Brent Stiefel — Executive Producer
Indie Spirit-nominated and Sundance Special Jury Award-winning producer Brent Stiefel is the founder and CEO of VOTIV, specializing in boundary-pushing independent film and entertainment. His credits include Free in Deed, As You Are, and Obvious Child. His upcoming projects feature Sydney Sweeney, Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard, and Rose Byrne.

Paula Loos — Production Designer
Paula Loos is a production designer whose work spans independent features, studio films, and episodic television. Her production-design credits include Pleasure (A24), which premiered at Cannes and earned a Guldbagge Award nomination for Best Production Design; Spell (Paramount); The Possession of Hannah Grace (Screen Gems); Reunion (Spyglass Entertainment); and Heresy, winner of Best Production Design at Grimmfest. Her broader art-department work includes Passengers, recipient of an Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award, and The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

Melissa Lawson Cheung — Editor
Melissa Lawson Cheung is a film and television editor whose credits include Mr. Robot, Daredevil: Born Again, Secret Invasion, Outlander, Mile 22, and Patriots Day. On Mr. Robot, she was the sole credited editor of the acclaimed Season 4 episode “407 Proxy Authentication Required,” a contained, psychologically intense chapter centered on therapy, buried trauma, memory, and identity. She also edited Marvel’s The Punisher: One Last Kill, starring and co-written by Jon Bernthal, which places Frank Castle’s PTSD and psychological state at the center of the story. Her experience shaping character-driven psychological material alongside large-scale genre storytelling makes her a particularly strong creative fit for Made to Order.

Kate Geller — Casting Director
Kate Geller is a five-time Artios-nominated New York-based casting director. Recent film credits include Oh, Hi! (with Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, Sundance 2025), Chili Finger (with Judy Greer, John Goodman, Sean Astin, and Bryan Cranston), Into the Sky (with Sam Richardson, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and David Cross), Idiotka (SXSW 2025), Fucktoys (SXSW 2025), Omni Loop (SXSW 2024, Artios nomination), Bob Trevino Likes It (SXSW 2024 Narrative and Audience Award winner), Cold Wallet (SXSW 2024), Cora Bora (SXSW 2023), Molli and Max in the Future (SXSW 2023), The Good Half (Tribeca 2023), The Secret Art of Human Flight (Tribeca 2023), Somewhere Quiet (Tribeca 2023), The Front Room (A24), Drugstore June, Materna (Tribeca 2020), Nine Days (Sundance 2020), and Shiva Baby (SXSW 2020), John Cassavetes Award winner and Artios Award winner.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact [email protected].