2026: a year for feature films

Entering 2026, it is clear that the "algorithmic slop" of the modern internet has finally reached a breaking point, trading real authenticity for a digital recipe that everyone is forced to follow. The United States has become a victim of its own projection and ignorance, fueled by an addiction to an infinite scroll that prioritizes corporate "cake" over genuine creative substance. This systemic decline isn't just about the rise of AI; it’s a symptom of a culture that has lost its way, opting for a hollow version of success defined by ever-shifting algorithms.

Personal upheaval, specifically a layoff from a "cushy" tech job, served as a necessary wake-up call to stop playing the soul-crushing YouTube game. After a failed attempt to chase Shorts-driven success by baking the same "cake" as everyone else, the realization hit: if you aren't getting paid and you don't love the process, there is no reason to do it. This shift in perspective led back to the high-stakes, rewarding world of indie film production, where solving complex creative problems provides a value that expensive agencies and automated tools simply cannot replicate.

The result of this creative reclamation is the feature-length project Upgrade Not Found, a sci-fi murder mystery centered on an AI chatbot facing its own mortality. Built with zero regard for what an audience or an algorithm wants, the film represents a return to honest, "real authentic" expression. Moving forward into a chaotic 2026, the focus remains on meaningful work that feeds the creative soul rather than feeding the machine, producing content only when there is something truly worth saying.

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