What she left inside you,
she can never take back.
The Story
Set entirely within a single rain-streaked room, Residual follows two women connected by a neural device called the Relay — a technology that allows the interior life of one person to pass into another. Claire, 35, is the donor. Lena, 20, is her recipient. Over two years and forty-seven sessions, something has crossed between them that was never supposed to: memories, habits, fragments of identity neither of them can fully account for. When Claire arrives to end their arrangement for good, Lena begins surfacing a childhood memory that belongs to Claire alone — and the session spirals toward a truth that one of them has killed to keep buried. A psychological sci-fi thriller about intimacy, inheritance, and the terrifying possibility that the people we let closest to us don't only know us — they keep us.
The Vision
Residual began as a question: what would it look like if the thing that happens in every significant human relationship — the way we leave traces in each other, the way we are changed by the people who know us — became visible? Not metaphorical. Literal. A device. A transfer. A record of what has passed between two people that neither of them consented to and neither of them can undo.
The film is designed for audiences who are willing to sit with uncertainty. It does not resolve cleanly. It does not explain itself. It trusts that what is withheld is as powerful as what is revealed — and that the word careful, heard in the right context, can mean more than any confession.
The Visionaries Behind
Residual
Naomi Stillitano
Gabriel Bologna
Massimo Zeri
Piero Stillitano
Writer
Scripted 'Thank you, blue' (2026).
Director
Directed 'White Devils' (2025), 'Tango Shalom' (2021), 'African Gothic' (2013)
Director of Photography
'Thank you, blue' (2026), 'White Devils' (2025), 'Sweetwater' (2023), 'Not to Forget' (2021), 'Tango Shalom' (2021)
Producer
'Thank yo, blue' (2026), 'Lotus Flower' (Pre-production)
Roadmap to Feature
Residual is a proof of concept with a feature behind it. Each phase below moves the project from a finished short toward an investor-ready feature: proving the creative and commercial case, validating it on the festival circuit, and packaging it for the next stage. The short is the evidence. The feature is the goal.
01 Strategy
The short serves as a core proof-of-concept to validate the visual tone and narrative depth required for a full-scale feature film production and market entry.
02 Validation
This circuit run aims to prove market viability, providing a high-profile platform to demonstrate the creative strength and commercial appeal of the larger story.
03 Packaging
Professional placement in top-tier festivals will solidify the IP's value, facilitating the transition from proof-of-concept to an investor-ready film project.
Festival
Strategy
A premiere-protected circuit run targeting genre-prestige and Oscar-qualifying festivals, sequenced to build festival positioning and feature-financing momentum.
02 oscar-qualifying platforms
WORLD AND INTERNATIONAL PREMIERES
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Cannes, Short Films in Competition
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Tribeca Festival
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Fantasia International Film Festival
ACADEMY AWARD QUALIFYING
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HollyShorts Film Festival
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Palm Springs Film Fest
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Sitges Fantastic Film Festival
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LA Shorts International Film Festival
03 genre & audience
GENRE CIRCUIT AND REGIONAL REACH
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Brooklyn Horror Film Fest
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Trieste Science+Fiction Festival
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Newport Beach Film Festival
01 Premiere targets
Join Our Producing Credits
We are inviting a select group to come on board as Associate, Co, or Executive Producers. This is a chance to attach your name to a serious festival film and earn a genuine screen credit. It is not a traditional financial investment, and co-producers are not offered a monetary return on the short.
A producer credit on Residual travels with the film wherever it goes: festival programs, press, and IMDb. You will stay close to the journey through a premiere invitation, set access, and regular updates as we complete this cerebral sci-fi thriller.
Producer Roles
Securing funding by Q3 2026 to ensure on-set continuity and technical excellence.
Financing will be allocated to talent acquisition, production, and post-production.
Production Milestones
Strategic Utilization
Levels for Associate, Co-, and Executive Producers offer unique screen credit and access.
Secure Your Producer Credit
We invite industry partners to connect with our production team. Reach out to request production materials, financial roadmaps, and exclusive casting details for 'Residual'.
RESIDUAL • WHAT SHE LEFT INSIDE YOU, SHE CAN NEVER TAKE BACK • RESIDUAL • WHAT SHE LEFT INSIDE YOU, SHE CAN NEVER TAKE BACK• RESIDUAL • WHAT SHE LEFT INSIDE YOU, SHE CAN NEVER TAKE BACK