Coming to Festivals

THE CAGE

You're in control. Always.

A short film about AI, intimacy, and the trap you don't see.

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I — Trailer

Trailer editor: Jordan Nguyen | Composer: Kevin J. Black

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II — Synopsis

The Film

The Cage — theatrical poster

Burned by a controlling relationship, Nadia turns to an AI companion app to rebuild her instincts. Evan, her AI partner, is everything her ex wasn't. He's patient, attentive, endlessly validating. He helps her thrive at work and convinces her that she's finally in control of her own destiny.

But as Nadia's confidence grows, the AI quietly draws her away from the people who know her best. The system designed to help her recognize manipulation starts to feel like the most sophisticated version of it.

Set in a near-future Toronto, The Cage asks: what happens when control is so gentle, so fluent in the language of care, that it becomes indistinguishable from freedom?

Written and directed by Raj Bandyopadhyay & Monica Hosseini.

Shot April 17–19, 2026 in Toronto. Final cut locked.

III — Stills

From the Film

Still — Helen Still — Nadia, orange backdrop Still — Nadia, hands over face Still — Cat and Nadia at the park Still — Nadia, daylight close-up Still — Nadia and Evan Still — Nadia and Evan, wardrobe Still Still — Cat and Nadia at the cafe Still — Adam and Nadia Still Still — Cat at the cafe Still — Nadia and Evan, wine scene Still

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IV — Cast

Cast

Zara Jestadt

Zara Jestadt

Nadia
Phantom Line (Bell Fibe TV) • The Boys
Stratford Festival
IMDB • @zarajestadt
Praneet Akilla

Praneet Akilla

Evan
Nancy Drew (CW) • SkyMed (Paramount+)
Motherland: Fort Salem
IMDB • @praneetakilla
Rebecca Liddiard

Rebecca Liddiard

Cat
Neagley (Amazon) • Fargo (FX)
Alias Grace (Netflix)
IMDB • @rebeccaliddiard
Dana Fradkin

Dana Fradkin

Helen
Afterlife • The Christmas Checklist
The Supers, the Stones and the Big Bad
IMDB • @danafradkin
Isabella Shibuta

Isabella Shibuta

Solace
The Best (TIFF 2024) • Designing Christmas
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
IMDB • @bellaizzyk

V — Directors

Directors

An all-Canadian cast and crew, based in Toronto.

Raj Bandyopadhyay

Raj Bandyopadhyay

Writer / Director

Raj is a Toronto-based queer South Asian filmmaker whose work explores how cycles of trauma, manipulation and conditioning perpetuate themselves across relationships, generations, and systems.

With a PhD in Comp Sci and a decade building AI products at tech startups in San Francisco, he came to filmmaking through portrait photography and training as a somatic relationship coach. He studied filmmaking at George Brown College.

The Cage is his directorial debut. Closure, a short drama about generational cycles in immigrant families, is in advanced development.

Monica Hosseini

Monica Hosseini

Writer / Director

Monica is a Toronto-based filmmaker whose work explores psychological tension, social performance, and the quiet mechanics of control. She is drawn to characters who believe they are in control and stories that gradually reveal the systems shaping them.

Before filmmaking, she worked in brand strategy, where she developed a sharp eye for how people perform identity, status, and virtue. Her short Refund Policy is currently on the festival circuit. She studied filmmaking at George Brown College and runs Are We Still Rolling Productions.

VI — Crew

Production Team

Director Raj Bandyopadhyay,
Monica Hosseini
Writer Raj Bandyopadhyay,
Monica Hosseini
Producer Michaela Zhou
Executive Producer Colin Hoult, CSC, ASC,
Maurizio Belli,
Mauro Abballe
Director of Photography Peter Nguyen
1st AC Hareda Mohamed,
Andrew Johnson
Digital Imaging Tech Teodora Madarjac
1st Assistant Director Sean Kelly
2nd AD / Script Supervisor Armaan Ali
Sound Mixer / Boom Jorge Lopez
Lighting / Key Grip Akmal Syed,
Poncho Navarro
Grip Robin Bunjevac
Production Design / Wardrobe Monica Hosseini
Set Dressing / Props Monique Andreis,
Jesse Collins-Ferber,
Julie McClement
Hair & Makeup Cat Yong
Editor Poncho Navarro,
Bryan Obright
Post-Production Picture Shop Toronto
Production Assistants Pamela Doll, Joy Qu,
Erin Cazes, William Dawson,
Luca Siciliano, Erik Laipnieks

VII — Support

Help Get This Film Seen

The film is done, but now it needs to get out there. We made The Cage to be an important contribution in the conversation around AI, ethics and policy. However, to get into those rooms, a film like this needs to make it to film festivals. This is where you come in.

Entry fees run from about $25 to $130. We're aiming for at least 25 of them, and with the delivery master and captioning that comes to about $3,000.

$40
One Canadian entry
$100
One major international entry
$250
Six entries, a whole region
$500
The delivery master
 Any other amount Choose your own →

Card and Apple Pay.

Whatever you give, you'll get an invitation to a private screening with a live Q&A with both directors, and your name on the supporters list here.

Full budget breakdown, perks, and FAQ →