LOS ANGELES - s4story -- Student Filmmaker Brayden Zachow Completes Short Film "The 8th & 9th Step" — A Bold Cinematic Vision of Recovery and Redemption

Los Angeles, CA — June 2026 — New York Film Academy student writer, director, and editor Brayden Zachow has wrapped production on his short film "The 8th & 9th Step" (2026), a raw and emotionally unflinching portrait of grief, accountability, and the long road to recovery.

Filmed on location at the First Christian Church in Burbank, California, the production brought together a crew of over 30 people representing multiple countries — including Italy, Brazil, China, and beyond. This richly international team brought a rare depth of perspective to a story that speaks to universal human experience: guilt, loss, and the courage it takes to face both.

The film follows Matthew, a young man in his twenties who walks into an AA meeting carrying survivor's guilt over the death of his best friend — only to find himself face to face with the drunk driver responsible. Set entirely over one night in a church basement and a parking lot, the story explores what it means to sit across from the person who destroyed your world, and whether accountability can coexist with grief that has no clean ending.

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"At its core, this is a story about the war between a man and himself," said writer-director Brayden Zachow. "Matthew isn't just fighting the bottle — he's fighting every version of himself that survived when his best friend didn't. That internal war is what the whole film is built around."

"I wanted the church basement to feel like a pressure cooker — the kind of room where people say things they've never said out loud. That environment forces honesty in a way nothing else does," Zachow added.

The short was produced by Ekaterina Vorobyova, an independent film producer based in Los Angeles, who also studied 3D Animation and Visual Effects at the New York Film Academy.

"This film has the soul of something much bigger than a student project," said Vorobyova. "Brayden brought together an extraordinary international team and created something that deserves to be seen on the festival circuit worldwide."

"The 8th & 9th Step" is currently being prepared for submission to international film festivals in 2026.

About the Filmmaker

Brayden Zachow is a student writer, director, and editor at the New York Film Academy. His work is defined by an intimate visual language and a commitment to stories about people in impossible situations.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17734136/