A new short film by a graduate from the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking (SFSDF), tells the story of a recluse self-storage manager who must overcome his phobias to save a friend. Filmmaker Naga Kataru screened his short film Boxed In at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival.

The inspiration for the film stemmed from Katarus fascination with managers who run self-storage facilities and the collection of things that accumulate in units over the years. Originally conceived as a documentary, the project was transformed into a short film about a man named Alvarez whos forced to face his fears to save his assistant, his only friend and connection to the rest of the world. Actor Christopher Peak plays Alvarez.

Kataru took a sabbatical from his job at Google and enrolled in the five-week film program at SFSDF. In the workshop, he completed a short film and enjoyed the experience so much, he quit his engineering job at Google and enrolled in the one-year digital film-making program at SFSDF. Kataru then completed five short films, one of which recently won an award under the public-service programming category in the Accolade Competition, a national contest that recognizes film-makers who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity.

SFSDF offers film workshops and programs that teach students the art and craft of filmmaking. The faculty is comprised of directors, producers, writers, musicians, editors, actors, art directors and sound designers. Students learn using the latest technology and equipment in digital film.

Sources: