Capturing the Visceral Horror of Coming of Age in LEVITICUS
About this Spotlight
Spotlights feature conversations with high-profile film and television industry professionals who share helpful advice and insights on their career experiences and creative processes.
Join Sundance Collab for this exclusive Spotlight Event with Adrian Chiarella, the visionary writer and director of the critically acclaimed supernatural social horror-romance Leviticus. After directing three shorts and several episodes of television, Chiarella made his directorial debut with Leviticus, which sold to Neon as the first deal of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The film is being released theatrically on June 19, 2026.
In this coming-of-age horror film, two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most— each other. Starring Mia Wasikoska, Joe Bird, and breakout star Stacy Clausen, the film explores the horror of conversion therapy in rural Australia.
In this live online event, Chiarella will discuss directing young performers in emotionally demanding roles, depicting the darker aspects of spirituality on screen, and utilizing the horror genre to authentically portray the nuances of the queer experience. Whether you’re a writer, director, or a cinema lover curious about the craft, you won’t want to miss this deep dive into one of the most anticipated independent horror films of the year!
If you would benefit from an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please complete this form, contact us at (435) 776-7790, or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to discuss your specific requests. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; however, requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.
A recording of this Spotlight will be posted to Sundance Collab's Event Recording Library two business days after the live event. All registered attendees will receive an email with a link to view the recording at no cost for two business days after it is posted. After that, on-demand access to the recording can be purchased for $10.
SpotlightTeam
Adrian Chiarella
Adrian Chiarella is an award-winning screenwriter and director based in Melbourne, Australia. His feature debut, Leviticus, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it sold to Neon for mid-seven figures as the first deal of the festival. The film follows two teenage boys that must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most – each other. With a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, Leviticus will open the 55th New Directors/New Films Festival before releasing widely in theaters this summer.
In the television space, Adrian directed an episode of Totally Completely Fine (Fremantle Media, 2023), starring Thomasin McKenzie, as well as two episodes of the hit series Five Bedrooms (Hoodlum Entertainment/Paramount+). He has also written and directed three short films. His debut, Touch (2014), earned him an Australian Directors' Guild nomination following its international festival run. Black Lips (2018), funded by Create New South Wales and SBS, was screened at several festivals including the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, where it won Best Short Film. In 2021, his AACTA-nominated short Dwarf Planet premiered in competition at Clermont-Ferrand and was a finalist for the Dendy Awards at the Sydney Film Festival. Most recently, Adrian won an Australian Writer’s Guild Award in 2025 for his episode Walking Gambit on Erotic Stories.
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer, Sundance Collab
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.