Five Raindance Revelations with Rob Alicea for ‘Serena’

Artificial intelligence has become one of modern horror’s richest hunting grounds, transforming everyday technology into something unsettlingly unpredictable. With Serena, director Rob Alicea takes that fear and filters it through the increasingly popular screenlife format, creating a thriller that unfolds entirely across computer screens, messages, notifications and digital interactions.

Making its International Premiere at Raindance Film Festival, Serena follows washed-up rock musician Chris Sadowski, a man whose career, finances and personal life are all teetering on the brink. When he agrees to beta test a revolutionary new AI assistant called Serena in exchange for some much-needed cash, what begins as a simple gig quickly spirals into a disturbing psychological battle between man and machine.

For Alicea, the project marks a significant milestone. After years spent acting, writing, directing and learning every aspect of the filmmaking process, Serena represents his first feature as a director, a journey that began in New York theatre classrooms and on film sets ranging from I Am Legend to The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Ahead of the film’s second Raindance screening on 25 June, we caught up with Alicea for the latest edition of Five Raindance Revelations to discuss cinematic inspirations, surviving the realities of independent filmmaking, and why the prospect of artificial intelligence still terrifies him nearly three decades after first watching Terminator 2.

Rob Alicea director of ‘Serena’

1. Tell us about your film and why you felt Raindance would be a great place to unleash it on London and the UK.

Serena is a screenlife Sci-Fi Horror Thriller about a down-on-his-luck musician who receives the chance of a lifetime: get paid to participate in a beta test of a revolutionary new AI chatbot… but who is testing who?

Raindance has been a dream festival for as long as I can remember. The UK audience is brutal in the best way possible. They respect the art and craft of cinema and performance – from the writing to the production value and acting, so if they enjoy a film, you can be confident that you created something that made an impact.

2. What moment made you realise you wanted to create films, not just watch them?

I caught the proverbial bug while studying Theatre and Communications at Hunter College in New York City. Training as an actor, followed by study at the William Esper Studio, gave me a deep appreciation for performance and the craft behind great theatre and film.

Writing was a significant part of my communications and journalism studies, helping me discover the power of storytelling. To afford tuition at Esper, I worked nights in restaurants while spending my days finding any opportunity I could to get onto a film set and learn. I worked as a production assistant on films including I Am Legend and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, among many others.

After enough 12-hour-plus days, early call times, and late nights, you quickly discover whether the entertainment industry is truly for you. For me, there was never any doubt.

3. What’s one film that fundamentally changed the way you think about cinema?

Too many to name, but if I had to pick one, it’s a tie between Good Will Hunting and Clerks. Around the time I discovered those films, I was also battling cancer. Good Will Hunting hit me right in the heart and has never left. I grew up watching Robin Williams comedies (Mrs. Doubtfire is another favorite), but in Good Will Hunting, he wasn’t Robin Williams. He was Sean Maguire. I’ve watched the film countless times, and more than twenty years later, it still affects me just as deeply—especially now that I’ve found my own “angel” and was lucky enough to marry her.

Clerks (and Kevin Smith in particular) opened my eyes to what the right story and the right team can accomplish. You don’t need a ton of money, the best cameras, or expensive lighting. If the story works, audiences will go on the journey with you. Most importantly, if you surround yourself with great friends and collaborators, you can weather any storm the film gods throw your way.

4. If you could collaborate with anyone in film history, who would unlock the most exciting project for you?

The honest answer is someone I can’t name just yet, but it should make for a very interesting conversation down the road.

5. What’s something making this film revealed about yourself that you didn’t know before?

As a director, the elusive first feature is a rite of passage. Which project will it be? How and when will it happen? Those questions can keep you up at night.

If I learned anything from making this film, it’s that I am stronger and more capable than my mind often leads me to believe. If you stay calm, remain patient, and keep doing the work, the right project will eventually find you – and you’ll find your way to it.

As scary as the journey can be, my wife gave me a simple piece of advice: “You have two options: sink or swim.” That mindset helped me push forward whenever doubt crept in. In the end, discipline trumps fear every time.

Alicea’s answers reveal a filmmaker whose passion for storytelling has been shaped as much by perseverance as inspiration. From working long shifts to fund his acting studies to spending countless hours learning the ropes on professional film sets, his route into filmmaking has been built on dedication rather than shortcuts.

That determination seems perfectly suited to Serena, a film concerned with ambition, desperation and the promises offered by emerging technology. It’s also a project that reinforced an important lesson for its director: that resilience often matters more than confidence.

For a filmmaker who describes Raindance as a dream festival, bringing Serena to London marks another significant step on that journey.