THE FIXED MARK Launches Festival Run With Malek Hanna
The film follows a traumatized orphan whose ability to foresee tragedy forces a forensic psychologist to reconsider his understanding of trauma and memory.
The Fixed Mark, a gripping new short drama from writer/director Spencer Jay Kim, is embarking on its festival run. Blending psychological suspense, supernatural mystery and an intimate human story of grief, the film follows a traumatized 13-year-old orphan whose apparent ability to foresee a devastating act of school violence forces a forensic psychologist to reconsider everything he believes about trauma, memory and time.
The Fixed Mark stars award-winning actor, singer, producer and author Malek Hanna as Dr. Elias Ward and rising actor Alex Lizzul as Nathan 'Rainn.' The film also features acclaimed actress, writer and director Danielle Nicolet (The Flash, Central Intelligence) as Ms. Lizotti; actor and voice artist Danny Fehsenfeld (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Young and the Restless) as Rainn's Stepfather; Nancy Telzerow (My Friend Dahmer) as Rainn's mother; and writer/director Spencer Jay Kim as Detective Shinn.
'We're incredibly proud to begin sharing The Fixed Mark with audiences,' comments Hanna. 'Underneath the mystery, this is really a story about a kid desperately trying to be heard. Alex gives such a vulnerable and honest performance, and I think the film asks an important question: What happens when someone is telling us the truth and we've already decided not to believe them? Hopefully the film starts a meaningful conversation about how we listen to young people, especially those carrying trauma.'
At the center of The Fixed Mark is Nathan 'Rainn' (Lizzul), a vulnerable young boy brought in for evaluation after attempting to warn others about a tragedy before it occurs. Under questioning by forensic psychologist Dr. Elias Ward (Hanna), Rainn shares details that seem impossible for him to know.
'The mystery is what pulls you into The Fixed Mark, but the human story is what stays with you,' says Kim. 'At the center of the film is a child carrying tremendous trauma who needs someone to truly hear him. It asks what can happen when truth does not arrive in a form we are prepared to recognize.'
Beneath its supernatural and psychological thriller framework, The Fixed Mark examines the enduring effects of childhood trauma, domestic abuse, grief and violence, while questioning how institutions entrusted with protecting vulnerable young people respond when truth challenges what they are prepared to believe.
Kim approaches the film with an intentionally restrained visual language shaped by psychological compression, silence and performance. Shot in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, The Fixed Mark uses close framing to heighten the sense that Rainn is being contained, studied and pressed inward by the world around him. The film draws tonal inspiration from the atmospheric restraint of Denis Villeneuve and Jonathan Glazer, the emotional intimacy of Ingmar Bergman's close-ups, and Steven Spielberg's expressive use of camera movement.
'I wanted the film to resist easy answers,' Kim adds. 'Rainn is not there to perform trauma for the audience, and Dr. Ward is not there to solve him like a puzzle. The deeper question is whether we are capable of recognizing truth when it arrives in a form we are not prepared to accept.'
Produced by Hanna, The Fixed Mark is executive produced by Dawn Lizzul and Paul Lizzul. The film's creative team includes director of photography Ryan Broomberg, production designer and consulting producer Erica Tenaglia, and production sound mixer, sound designer and re-recording mixer Oleksii Laptev.
The Fixed Mark will hold a private industry screening during the 2026 American Film Market in Los Angeles this November, offering industry professionals an early opportunity to experience the film's provocative exploration of trauma, grief, institutional failure and the elusive nature of truth.
Credits
Title: The Fixed Mark (35 minutes)
Format: Short Drama / Psychological Thriller
Writer & Director: Spencer Jay Kim
Producer: Malek Hanna
Executive Producers: Dawn Lizzul, Paul Lizzul
Cast: Malek Hanna, Alex Lizzul, Danielle Nicolet, Danny Fehsenfeld, Spencer Jay Kim, Nancy Telzerow
Director of Photography: Ryan Broomberg
Production Designer / Consulting Producer: Erica Tenaglia
Production Sound Mixer, Sound Designer & Re-Recording Mixer: Oleksii Laptev
Photo Credit: Allegra Ventures LLC
Photo Credit: Allegra Ventures LLC
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