Lacuna

Athens, Greece. When Alex revisits her hometown for the first time after moving abroad, she heads to a party solo, in an effort to reconnect with old lovers and friends. What she finds out there however, is that she’s started fading away from the minds of those that once meant the most to her.

Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Development
Writer/Director: Chris Pilouni
Producer: Martin Boross
Producer: Alex Jiang
Director of Photography: Maya Zaleski
Costume Designer: J Garrison
Production Designer: Ruitao Yue
Music Curation: Pink.wav

Email: cp4203@nyu.edu
 

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Logline

Athens, Greece. When Alex revisits her hometown for the first time after moving abroad, she heads to a party solo, in an effort to reconnect with old lovers and friends. What she finds out there however, is that she’s started fading away from the minds of those that once meant the most to her.

Synopsis

In a crumbling Athenian squat throbbing with music, Alex steps inside for a fleeting visit, hoping to reconnect with the community she once belonged to. But the moment she crosses the threshold, something feels wrong. No one seems to recognize her—not even her closest friend and former lover. As the night unravels, the party warps into a dreamlike labyrinth. Alex comes to terms with her erasure and corners her ex, desperate to understand what happened between them. In a drug-fueled ramble, he speaks openly, unaware that he’s speaking to her—and the truth Alex uncovers is not what she hoped to hear.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Chris Piliouni — Writer/Director
Chris is a filmmaker from Athens, Greece, currently based in New York, where they are pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking at NYU’s Graduate Film Program on scholarship. They have crewed on over ten short films, writing, directing, and producing three of their own. Their work centers on genderqueer characters, and explores themes of identity, secrecy, and belonging. Chris also plays music – their mixes air bimonthly on Systems Radio, having featured on NTS and Stegi Radio among others.

Martin Boross — Producer
Martin Boross (he/him) is a Junior Prima Award-winning film and theatre director, currently pursuing his MFA in Film Directing at NYU Tisch. He is the founder and artistic director of STEREO AKT, a progressive theatre collective established in 2013, where he has directed 22 original productions ranging from stage to site-specific and participatory works. His work has been shown in over 40 cities across 13 countries. Since beginning filmmaking in 2017, he has directed five short films, a feature-length documentary, and recently premiered his debut feature, Raw Material, winner of the Special Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 44th Hungarian Film Festival.

Alex Jiang — Producer
Born and raised in China, Alex Jiang (she/her) is a freelance writer/director/producer. She gained her BFA degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts and is now pursuing her MFA in NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Alex’s short films have gone to multiple domestic and international festivals such as Palm Springs International ShortFest, LA Shorts, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and Seattle International Film Festival among others. In 2023, she participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival SIFF NEXT fellowship as a directing fellow and is currently developing her feature project.

Maya Zaleski — Director of Photography
Maya Zaleski (she/her) is a Polish-American filmmaker who makes movies about invisible people. Her short film JINX (2023) won Best Horror Film at the New York State International Film Festival. She has worked in production on Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem, Paramount’s Blue Bloods, and Apple TV’s The Changeling. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021, where she directed the Fourth Quarter All-Stars sketch comedy team and produced the largest intercollegiate comedy festival in the U.S. She has served as director of photography on five short films, spanning genres from horror, to social realism, and documentary.

Ruitao Yue — Production Designer
Ruitao is a scenic and production designer and writer based in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Tsinghua University and is currently an MFA student in NYU Tisch’s Design for Theater and Film Program. He worked as an assistant architect at THUPDI, and two houses designed by him were completed in 2023. He has also worked at the Palace Museum and Vogue China.

J Garrison — Costume Designer
J Garrison (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based costume designer with a growing portfolio spanning film and Off-Broadway theater. Their recent work includes costume design for the NYU graduate short films Crystal Palace and Melons, as well as serving as Wardrobe Supervisor for Beau: The Musical (154 Christopher) and Wardrobe Production Assistant for Conversations with Mother at Theater 555. In 2024, they assisted the costume designer on Teeth: The Musical, and since August 2025, they have been participating in a prestigious costume design apprenticeship at Juilliard, assisting designers across dance, opera, and theater productions. Originally from Indiana, J studied at Ball State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, focusing on costume design, theatre branding, and stagecraft.

Pink.wav — Music Curation
Pink.wav (she/her) is a Greek DJ, architect, and artist based in Athens, exploring sound as a path to shared experience and emotional depth. She has performed alongside renowned artists at events and festivals across Greece and abroad, including Nature Loves Courage, Reworks, Qreclaim and much more. Her genre-blurring sets fuse bass, mesmerizing vocals, intricate breaks, and seductive percussions – offering a sonic reflection of human complexity. Pink.wav’s mixes have aired on platforms such as NTS, Kiosk Radio, and Komrade, and she currently hosts her own show, time:stamps , on Stegi Radio.

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Contact

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