FELLOWS
Satellite Fellows 2026
Matt Balcerek
BREATH, POWER, AND THE BODY AS BATTLEGROUND
“NEGATIVE SPLIT” IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL SHORT FILM THAT TURNS COMPETITIVE SWIMMING INTO A THRILLER ABOUT CONTROL, IDENTITY, AND THE MOMENT YOU STOP PERFORMING FOR OTHERS
Set inside the pressure-cooker world of elite youth athletics, Negative Split follows a 17-year-old swimmer as his body becomes the site of a quiet power struggle—between the expectations of a camera-ready girlfriend, an institution hungry for results, and a new coach whose training methods blur the line between discipline and possession. Told through visceral sound and close, tactile imagery—water, pulse, breath—the film explores what it costs to be seen, and what it takes to finally choose yourself.
DIRECTOR: Matt Balcerek is a Forbes 30 Under 30 lister and a producer, writer, and director working across film, television, and documentary. His work spans scripted and unscripted storytelling, with a focus on character-driven narratives for international audiences.
Balcerek wrote and directed the Oscar-qualified short film Sunflower, and produced the documentary Cerro Gordo (2020), distributed on Spectrum TV. He has also served as a showrunner on branded series featuring talent including T-Pain, and worked in development at Bob Shaye’s Unique Features and Norman Lear’s Act III Productions.
MAKE THE FILM: COMPLETE OUR BUDGET THROUGH FISCAL SPONSORSHIP
YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION HELPS PRODUCE A FESTIVAL-READY SHORT WITH TOP-TIER CINEMATOGRAPHY, SCORE, AND SOUND
We are packaging the film with a remarkable creative team, including DP Lukasz Dziedzic, who has collaborated with Janusz Kamiński on Steven Spielberg films and shot campaigns featuring Cate Blanchett and Kylie Jenner; composer Roberto Mengoli, with the Guildhall London Symphony Orchestra attached; and Oscar-winning sound designers. The producing team includes Academy Gold alum Paulina Jaskiewicz, producer of multiple award-winning short films, and Film Independent Project Involve alum Pinar Binay.
WHY THIS STORY, WHY NOW
A FILM ABOUT THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM—AND THE RADICAL ACT OF RECLAIMING AGENCY
Negative Split speaks to a generation raised under surveillance—coached, scored, recorded, and optimized—where identity can feel like something you “earn” through performance. By placing the audience inside the body—breath by breath—the film offers a visceral portrait of autonomy: the moment a young person stops chasing approval and begins setting their own tempo. Our goal is to create a formally bold short that resonates with audiences and programmers alike, opening conversation about ambition, control, mental health, and the unseen costs of excellence.
