Filmmaker Profile: Knead
Welcome to the Bushwick Film Festival Q&A series, where we introduce you to the incredible filmmakers behind this year's lineup. Each of these talented storytellers has crafted a unique vision, reflecting diverse perspectives and powerful narratives that resonate deeply with audiences today. In this series, you'll get an inside look at what inspired their work, the challenges they faced, and the creative processes that brought their films to life. Through candid interviews, they share their thoughts on the impact of their films, the themes they explore, and their hopes for how audiences will connect with their stories. Whether you're here for drama, comedy, documentary, or experimental films, these filmmakers are sure to inspire you with their dedication and passion for the craft. We hope you enjoy getting to know the voices behind this year's festival as much as we have enjoyed bringing their films to our screens. Let’s dive into their stories!
About This Film
When an alien landing mysteriously drives people around the world to achieve their deepest dreams, an aspiring baker in an unhappy marriage wonders why she hasn't been affected at all—forcing her to take matters into her own hands.
Q&A with Director TIMOTHY MICHAEL COOPER
Timothy Michael Cooper, director of Knead
What inspired you to create this film, and how did the initial idea come to you?
I’ve often wondered what it might take to unite humanity. When the pandemic hit, we saw right away that even a global tragedy wouldn’t get people to unite under the same ideological roof. But perhaps something even bigger could motivate us to cooperate? Something like a huge, truly earth-shattering event.
As a writer, that naturally led me to envision the potential effect a visit from a UFO full of aliens might have on our divided society. What would we make of them? Would we use them to pursue our own ends? Do we really need outside events to kick us into action—or does true motivation come from within?
This was the genesis of Knead, a short comedy with a big sci-fi twist. The film explores just how hard it can be to pursue your most heartfelt goals when the very idea of doing something for yourself, let alone following your dreams, feels in peril.
Describe who you want this film to reach
I want Knead to reach anyone who realizes they’ve been holding themselves back. Thankfully, the film has indeed been connecting with people who realize they’ve been waiting for outside permission to pursue their dreams.
Thus, this film is for anyone who keeps telling themselves they’re going to start pursuing their passion for real…tomorrow. But really, what’s stopping you from starting today?
How do you want people to feel after they see your film?
After people see Knead, I want them to feel empowered, inspired, and like they’re enough. For example, if you want to call yourself an artist, you can just do that. You don’t have to be a professional, or earn money from your craft. You don’t have to be #1 at something to enjoy it. Not everything has to be a competition.
In other words, life isn’t a zero-sum game. Thankfully, audiences have indeed been approaching me after screenings, or getting in touch after seeing it at festivals, and relaying these exact feelings to me, which is beautiful.
When our cinematographer’s wife saw Knead for the first time, she realized she wanted to get back into acting after many years of not doing so. Since then, she’s been in two shows, with a third coming up. I don’t want to say that Knead deserves all of the credit for that…but we’ll settle for 95% of the credit.
What was your favorite part of making your film? Memories from the process?
I know people use the term “labor of love” all the time, but there’s really no better way to describe this project.
I came up with the idea and wrote the script in January 2022, and it took till spring 2024 for us to finally complete postproduction and begin showing it to the world. I had an absolutely amazing team by my side; without any one of them, the whole thing would have collapsed.
I’ll never forget seeing the house where we filmed (in Midwood, Brooklyn), the day I arrived with the cast after their wardrobe fitting. All four floors of this huge house had been occupied by my amazing producers, costume designer, production designer, camera department, and more.
A production studio had sprung up overnight, with wardrobe, production, and camera departments in the basement, hair and makeup on the third floor, dressing rooms on the second floor, and the bulk of the scenes shot on the first floor. I told you this house was enormous!
To see all of that built from scratch for a two-day shoot was mind-blowing. All credit goes to my unbelievably skilled, efficient, and dedicated crew.
What was a big challenge you faced while making this film?
One of the most intriguing challenges to making Knead was designing the aliens. I always had in mind something different from how we often depict extraterrestrial life—creatures closer to E.T. than to Starship Troopers or the like. However, as the design evolved with my excellent VFX artist, Dan Melius, we went in an even gentler, more innocuous direction.
What we ended up with always elicits a laugh of surprise and amusement from audiences, which is exactly what we’d hoped for. Without giving too much away, the whole point is that people’s transformations once the aliens land has nothing to do with the creatures’ appearance, and everything to do with our own biases. That way, the characters’ reactions to the aliens is more a reflection of who these people already were before than anything related to the aliens themselves.
After all, what we project onto those who appear different from us, or come from a different country or culture, is usually just a reflection of our own biases, fears, and insecurities. We can be scared or suspicious if we choose to be, or we can choose to grow in our humanity and compassion. I’d love for us to aim for the latter.
Olive learns and grows to embody a new definition of herself throughout the film. But my hope is that we don’t need actual aliens from other planets to make us be open, accepting, and the best versions of ourselves. Compassion and understanding costs us zero dollars.
How do you approach storytelling in your films? What’s your process for developing a script or concept?
All of my films start as solo struggles—what do I want to say, and how can I say this in a gripping way, from a unique story, character, and genre perspective? Then the movie quickly becomes a collaborative group effort—involving my producers, longtime DP and editor, production designer, costume designer, hair and makeup artists, VFX designer, and casting directors. On set, the collaboration grows to include my actors as we hone the performances’ tone, movements, and words. I try to be receptive and open at every stage of the process, so that I can enhance what’s connecting with people, delete what isn’t, figure out where viewers are getting lost or bored, and much more.
Knead had an especially fascinating journey because just three weeks before shooting, I realized that changing the time period from the present day to the 1960s would be the perfect vehicle to mirror Olive’s feeling of being stuck—even imprisoned—in an unfulfilled life. She fervently hopes that these invading creatures from beyond can save her from her stifling reality as a submissive housewife...and perhaps even propel her towards her sweet, doughy, colorful dream of being a pastry chef.
However, as Olive comes to realize, we all have to muster the courage within ourselves to pursue our dreams, especially when no one else believes in them—or in us.
If you weren’t a filmmaker, what would you be doing?
I’d definitely be eating. As you read this right now, I probably am eating. In fact, I used to eat professionally—not like Joey Chestnut (who’s from my hometown, San Jose, big shoutout), but as a food writer. I was a restaurant critic, culinary journalist, cookbook editor, and food magazine editor for over a decade, for multiple different outlets.
I even came close to going to cooking school, until I realized how incredibly demanding, heartbreaking, and difficult that career is. I have enormous respect for anyone who pursues that craft.
Instead, I chose something that’s easy, super-lucrative, and not at all frustrating—filmmaking.*
*Note: Not one bit of this sentence is true.
BIOGRAPHY
Timothy Michael Cooper is a writer-director based in Brooklyn. His short comedy LEMON premiered at Tribeca and was acquired by Amazon Prime and United Airlines. He wrote and directed CONCIERGE: THE SERIES, starring Kate McKinnon, earning him a Writers Guild Award nomination. He also wrote the dramatic feature AWAY FROM HERE, starring Nick Stahl and Alicia Witt. As a longtime writer for the Writers Guild Awards, he’s written comedy for Jimmy Fallon, Bowen Yang, Kenan Thompson, Paul Reiser, Michelle Buteau, and many more. Check out 365ShortStories.com, where he published an original high-concept short story every single day last year.
Thank you for joining us for this special Q&A with the filmmakers of the Bushwick Film Festival. We hope this conversation has given you insight into the artistry, dedication, and heart that went into bringing their films to life. Each of these creators represents the spirit of independent filmmaking—fearlessly telling stories that reflect the complexities of our world and the personal experiences that shape us. As you continue exploring this year’s lineup, we encourage you to dive deeper into these works and discover the powerful messages, emotions, and perspectives they offer. Whether you're a long-time supporter of indie films or a newcomer to the festival, your engagement and curiosity make all the difference in uplifting these voices. Stay tuned for more filmmaker spotlights, and we look forward to seeing you at this year’s screenings. Let’s continue celebrating the magic of storytelling together!
