Hunter Nickless is the youngest of three boys, he enjoys boxing and photography, and he admits he struggled with self-confidence for a while in his early teen years. He attends a performing arts high school in Virginia called Governor’s School for the Arts. By all accounts, he’s your average teen—except, of course, that he’s also a filmmaker with more than 100 accolades to his name. On November 8, he’ll make his St. Louis International Film Festival debut for his short film, GONE, at Chase Park Plaza Cinema in the Oscar Qualifying Shorts Competition. This is the 44th official selection this year for GONE but is Nickless’ first Academy-qualifying festival.
Congratulations on being included in the festival. That’s very exciting. What made you interested in film and filmmaking?
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I started as an actor when I was 8, and I’ve done commercials and short films, and I’ve also been in [Swagger] on AppleTV+. From being on set, I developed a passion for filmmaking, by just watching the behind the scenes. I’ve always had a eye for photography, and I got into video editing, and then I wanted to start making films. So I made my first film, Haunted for Life. And then after that, I made Beyond the Gate. Then my third short film was Haunted for Life: Encounter, which was a sequel to my first one. And then my fourth one, which is my most recent one, is GONE.
What’s your process for choosing your film’s topics?
I love sci-fi and horror, [which were the genres for my first films] because I always like putting twists at the end of my movies. I love the creativity you can have in sci-fi and horror. But [with GONE, I was exploring my love of] coming-of-age drama because it’s really relatable and you can make a film that can really touch someone’s heart.
Tell me about GONE. What can people expect, and why are you excited about it?
GONE is a coming-of-age drama that follows Luca, a high school student whose life undergoes a drastic change, forcing him to move to Virginia and battle his inner demons in search for peace. With GONE, I wanted to make a film that talks about mental health and how you don’t always know what someone is going through.
Why is mental health such an important issue for you?
I’m a lot better now, but I wasn’t as confident in the past. I know a lot of people deal with it even worse, and I’m really observant, so I can catch onto those feelings. I hear my friends talk about it. It just really touches my heart, and I want to spread that awareness.
What has the success of your films meant to you? How do you handle that at your age?
It’s really rewarding because it’s all coming to life and it’s all working out. I like to see people feel emotional when they look at my work through acting, filming, and photography. I wanna keep going and make people feel that way as I make more projects.
What are your future goals and ambitions?
I love being on set, so I’m going to continue acting and also do photography. And hopefully I’ll become a director in the future. I also love cinematography—so just work on movies videos, commercials.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing young people in showbiz and this kind of artistry?
It is competitive. There’s definitely a lot of jealousy in the industry. When kids don’t really understand, they kind of make assumptions—I think that is one of the hard things.
Why are you excited about the St. Louis International Film Festival specifically?
I’ve been seeing all the previews, and it’s set up very nice, and all the films look amazing. It’s also amazing that it’s an Oscar-qualifying festival. And then also being able to meet everyone who has a film in that festival and the connections that I’m going to be able to make.
Do you have any idols or filmmakers who you really respect?
Definitely. I’d say Sean Baker and Wes Anderson and also Greg Frazier. They all have cinematography that I enjoy to watch. And then also with Wes Anderson and Sean Baker, they both have such unique style when it comes to directing, and I definitely see that in their films, and it’s really inspiring.
What is the message you’d like to share with other young aspiring filmmakers?
Always take risks and go out of your comfort zone. And also, do what makes you happy–don’t listen to other people who are trying to bring you down.
