AUSTIN, TEXAS — The pandemic made things tough for so many industries, including the film industry. Now that things are returning to normal, a short film with some very special actors is finally in the works. It’s called “When Unfettered” and it’s about an artificial intelligence humanoid who learns how to feel for the first time after meeting children with learning differences.


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"There’s always something about artificial intelligence being bad in the future and we wanted to do something a little bit different and we also wanted to do something that would just kind of be a nod to undervalued members of our society and how special they are and how much we can learn from them," said Derek Franzese, one of the writers and directors of this film.

(Spectrum News 1/LeAnn Wallace)
(Spectrum News 1/LeAnn Wallace)

After a long year of social distancing, the kids involved in this film are excited to be both acting and playing together. Nine-year-old Tessa says she was elated when her mom told her filming was set to begin. For Tessa, being on camera comes naturally.

"I’m not shy on camera or just in general. Like, I’m a big extrovert so I like being with people and on camera and stuff," said Tessa. 

What she likes about acting is that you can be whoever you want to be. Franzese says he wanted to give these actors — with varying abilities — the ability to be whoever they want to be on set.

Franzese spent a lot of the pandemic waiting to get called back to work and because of these kids, he's now choosing to work a bit of overtime. 

"It’s been kind of cool. They're so joyous and happy to be around. I just like them. I’m actually shooting way more than we need to because I like them so much," he said.

With things slowly returning to a sense of normalcy after the thick of the pandemic, these actors are enjoying being normal kids, while taking part in a very special film.

If you'd like to learn more about the film — you can find more information here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/season5/when-unfettered