Self-funded dystopian thriller starring a neurodivergent actor selected for the 29th ARPA International Film Festival in Los Angeles
Going Dark, a self-funded short film made in Western Sydney, has been selected for the 29th ARPA International Film Festival in Los Angeles, where it will have its world premiere at Hollywood’s iconic TCL Chinese Theatre on September 26. The film was also named a semi-finalist at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, an Academy Awards-qualifying event.
Set in a near-future Australia ruled by an AI-controlled regime, Going Dark follows the last remaining neighbourhood resisting forced compliance through microchip implantation. At the centre of the story is Joshua Dewhurst, who has Down syndrome and plays the lead role opposite his real-life sister as the pair attempt a desperate escape.
The film places a neurodivergent actor at the centre of a genre narrative rather than at its margins, using a dystopian premise to explore autonomy, identity, and the lengths one sister will go to protect her brother.
“This film is deeply personal to me. I wanted to create a story where disability isn’t a plot device or something that sits on the sidelines, but where my brother could be the hero of his own story. Putting him at the centre of a dystopian thriller felt like a way of challenging the kinds of roles we usually see neurodivergent actors given,” said Bethany Dewhurst, writer, actor and producer of Going Dark, and Joshua’s sister.
Going Dark was directed by Tigran Tovmasian, whose previous short film The Circus Lion won the International Competition at the 2026 Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, an Academy Awards-qualifying festival, and was recommended for Academy consideration.
The film was independently produced and entirely self-funded, filmed on location across Western Sydney.
Going Dark will screen as part of ARPA’s Short Film Block #2 at 1:30pm on Saturday, September 26, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
About Going Dark
Going Dark is a dystopian thriller written by and starring Bethany Dewhurst and Joshua Dewhurst, and directed by Tigran Tovmasian. The film will have its world premiere at the 29th ARPA International Film Festival, screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on September 26.
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