WINNER: Grand Jury Award for New York Short Film & Audience Award for Best Narrative Short
at 36th Annual NewFest Film Festival
FEATURED IN
BLACK BOYS DON'T SEW
".ZARI is a film that is both relatable in the queer experience around the assumptions of heterosexuality as well as universal as it relates to the relationships between the characters."
Jurors Kia Brooks, Luca Intili and Jaboukie Young-White, 36th NewFest Film Festival
About The Project
Ernie, a bipolar man who refuses medication, seeks a fresh start with his estranged sister Inez after a violent manic episode. He quickly bonds with his young nephew Hawk—only to discover the boy is also bipolar and being medicated, something Ernie fiercely opposes. In a misguided attempt to "save" Hawk from the same fate, Ernie takes him on an unplanned road trip, determined to prove he’s not the family’s lost cause. But as Hawk’s condition worsens and Ernie’s grip on reality slips, the lines between rescue and recklessness begin to blur—forcing Ernie to confront his own limits before it’s too late.
The project, written and produced by Craig Williams and directed by Rosalyn Williams, in partnership with Red Wall Productions.
ZARI: THEATRICAL TRAILER
SEP CREATOR | CRAIG WILLIAMS
Writer / Producer
Craig T. Williams is a 2025 Snarky Cohort member and has been an indie filmmaker for over 2 decades. A writer/producer at Red Wall Productions, he has created over 50 film projects. His journey landed him his first staff writing job on the hit TV show "TERROR LAKE DRIVE" on ALLBLK. Craig’s fellowship wins include: Warner Brothers Discovery All Access TV Writer’s Program, The Gotham Film and Media - “TV Series Creator to Watch,” Pitch Black Storyteller Documentary Fellowship, New York Stage and Film
Feature Writers Fellowship, and the Black TV and Film Collective Producers Fellowship.
Craig is the Executive Director of the newly launched Men of Color Unite (MOCU), a social action and 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that focuses on remedying the inequities that face Men of Color in today’s entertainment and media industries. In partnership with the Craft Institute, Craig created an in-person 3-day Writers Retreat in
picturesque Martha’s Vineyard in September 2024. The retreat provided Four (4) Black screenwriters with the resources and tools to workshop their Feature Script or TV Pilot in a safe, supportive environment.
He’s a mentorfor The Craft Institute and for teen filmmakers at Reel Works Mentorship Program in Brooklyn.
CAST AND CREW
This is the space to introduce the business’s team and what makes it special.
SIMONE MISSICK
Inez
TBD
Ernie
TBD
Floyd
TBD
Anya
Directors & Producers
Viola Davis
Executive Producer
Julius Tennon
Executive Producer
Rosalyn Williams
Director
Red Wall Productions
Producer
Snarky Elephant Productions
Producer
...and
Casting Associate
The project takes us on a journey that is not conventionally seen within the South-Asian community and we love it.
- VEYLEX
Insomnia finds a hearty dose of laughs and sexuality to keep things entertaining, and Reddy injects Nikhil with enough charm and vulnerability to keep him relatable, even at his most neurotic.
- David Reddish, QUEERTY
Vishaal Reddy’s ‘Insomnia’ gives a different perspective of Indian-Americans
- Staff Writer, NEWS INDIA
You learn more about these characters in the short episodes than you do in many of the TV shows trending on Netflix.
- Sharan Dhaliwal, BURNT ROTI
"Meet Vishaal Reddy, the creative genius behind a new dark comedy series, Insomnia"
- Avani Thakkar, ELLE INDIA
...Refreshing and revolutionary...the best thing Reddy does is to embrace his nuanced identity in a way that previous representations rarely do.
Proma Khosla, MASHABLE
“Insomnia has quickly become a-don’t-miss web series and an important source of adding shade and color to what can seem like black and white issues"
- Anubhuti Kumar,
BROWN GIRL MAGAZINE