Cory Pratt is an award-winning filmmaker from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. His films Doll, When Skies Are Gray, and Notes From Another Room have been presented at Nightmares Film Festival, Dances with Films, The Mill Valley Film Festival, The Athens International Film Festival, and the TeaDance LGBT Film Festival. Beyond his passion for movies and filmmaking, Cory's second love is cooking. He recently competed on Dinner Budget Showdown, a cooking competition hosted by Sandra Lee on Roku TV. Cory is currently based in Los Angeles. 

Nearly two years ago, the kernel of the idea for HIDE sprang to life in a Studio City apartment one summer night over Mulberry St. Pizza. The original premise involved a coven of witches, and a guy transforming into a cat…which would have been decidedly different than our tale of affluent cannibals. Nevertheless, our screenwriter Justin, our lead actor/producer Matthew, and I knew we wanted to bring a taut, fun little genre piece to life, and I was really excited to tell a story that combined my two loves of cinema and cooking. 

On top of that, I was also thrilled to tackle HIDE as an experiment in collaboration. I had only directed my own screenplays up until this point, and while making films that are intensely personal can be incredibly rewarding, sometimes all of that cathartic creative therapy can be emotionally taxing. That’s why I jumped at the chance when Justin came to me with this madcap idea based on actual accounts of consensual cannibalism, (google “long pigs” if you dare) and began to see this project as a license to play in the sandbox of visual style in ways that I hadn’t done before. It was an immensely rewarding experience to have the freedom to “play” with the creative process on a level I never had before, but I would be remiss if I didn’t switch gears to talk about my fellow “playmates” at recess who made this film such a complete blast. 

You see, after the triple body blows of the covid-19 pandemic, the agonizingly protracted SAG-Aftra strike, and now the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, scores of rank-and-file film-workers have been met with a period of economic hardship that is truly unprecedented for the city of Los Angeles. In my professional life, I personally know union costume workers (veterans in their field with decades-long lists of imdb credits longer than your arm) who simply could not withstand the dearth of jobs after two years of metaphorical tumbleweeds blowing through this ghost town. Many talented folks like this have emigrated to greener pastures in Ohio, Texas, and elsewhere…leaving behind their careers and passions for more certain economic stability. 

This is a tragedy, because most of the world outside of Hollywood retains the misconception that this town is full of nothing but über-rich celebrities walking their designer frenchies to Erewhon for a $20 smoothie. This shallow generalization consistently overlooks the hardworking and talented below-the-line craftspeople that keep this industry working like clockwork. The PA’s hustling in their broke down cars to make a 6am call time…the craft service workers who unload their vans at midnight to have a hot snack ready when talent arrives…the stalwart gaffers that muscle their way through back and joint pain to rig the lights that illuminate these sets with precision…all of these people contribute to the hours of film, TV, art, media, and content that we observe each day. There isn’t a single director’s creative vision that doesn’t exist without the industrious work ethic of these folks who literally form the underpinning of our industry. 

The beautiful thing about all this hardship is that there are craftspeople who have persevered and are surviving because of their undying passion for what they do. I know this because we had the great fortune of witnessing their work firsthand on HIDE. From our makeup artist Roxanne and the gentle way she coaxed our child star to put fake blood in her mouth (by explaining it tasted like toothpaste). To our workhorse DP Alex who never lost steam or his command of the films’ vision, even while dancing a constant ballet with a heavy camera strapped to his body for 12 hours straight. To our genius post sound artist Alexey, whose state-of-the-art home studio is only accessible by walking past his kids’ outdoor play set. These folks are the foundation on which so much of the art that colors our lives is built. They are here, they are dedicated, and they are ready to get back to the work that they love. 

That’s why I wanted to use this director’s statement as a plea to the studios big and small that form this vast industry that we need to keep our work here in LA now more than ever to heal this city and this industry. 

We sincerely hope you enjoy the bloody thrill ride that HIDE has to offer. 

Bon appetit! 

Cory Pratt - Director / Producer