Interview with Indie Filmmaker, Patrick Guera

By: Myriam Akbar

Meet Patrick Guera–a San Diego Native, indie filmmaker, and one half of Rewind of the Living Dead Podcast. He spent most of 2025 promoting his horror short, The Path which is currently making its way through the festival circuit. It’s an image driven script that relies on visual storytelling and like his other short, Don’t Do It uses little to no dialogue. It’s receiving great responses and has moved Guera into the horror filmmaking space, allowing him to connect people in the field. He is now working on a feature length film, expanding on The Path and is immensely excited for the project. I had the opportunity to watch the short a couple months ago and think that its ominous atmosphere will translate well in a larger piece of work. I recently interviewed Guera about his passion for cinema, inspiration behind his films, and advice to aspiring filmmakers.

“My love for cinema began as a young child. I remember The Goonies and E.T. having a  huge impact on me. Anything from the Spielberg era or anything that had a classic and traditional blockbuster feel drew me in,” says Guera. Although he always watched horror films, it wasn't until about five years ago that he began to consider himself an enthusiast of the genre. This was after he realized that he had extensive knowledge on it and joined a podcast. This also became apparent to him when he considered that three of his five favorite films of all time are horror–these being Alien, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Lost Boys. In terms of other genres, Guera gravitates towards dramas and has a special appreciation for 80s comedy thrillers–48 Hours, Armed and Dangerous, and Beverly Hills Cop being examples of this. “It’s a unique and well-blended mashup of genres. It’s a comedy but the stakes are very real and very dangerous. They’re fun and engaging films,” he says.

Guera went to university in San Diego to study cinema and filmmaking, resulting in him directing and producing corporate videos. However, it didn’t fulfill his need to make art–so he started working on his drama short Don’t Do It. In terms of the process, he says that he fell in love with screenwriting because the format is different from long form. “It uses a specific style that is more conducive to my brain patterns,” he shares. However, he leans towards directing. “I don’t need to write the next thing that I direct. I really love being on set. The writing portion makes me wanna rip my hair out. I would rather just be on set,” he says. Above all, he finds the most important aspect to be the completion of a project. “Getting something across the finish line means everything to me” he says.  

The premise of Don’t Do It questions: what happens when someone’s intrusive thoughts get the best of them? The plot examines this, following the lifelong journey of a man struggling with decision making. It’s a raw, introspective, and emotionally-charged film that won awards while making its way through festivals. I immediately resonated with it when I watched it, finding it relatable and cautioning. It’s cohesive and clearly demonstrates its purpose. He chose to keep the dialogue in the film to a minimum because storytelling through visuals is important to him as a director. “The actors are the people who really push the emotion and I like seeing them do their thing,” he says. Guera goes by “@directorpatrick” on Instagram and has a link in his bio, making it accessible for people to see for themselves. Due to its complicated nature and to avoid spoilers, he didn’t go into much detail about The Path. However, he shares that the idea explores the dangers of radicalization. As a story, it delves into the price one pays for the things that they’re willing to do. 

Guera initially started making TikTok content to promote the podcast he’s a part of, which is where I discovered him. After receiving advice to put himself out there, he began to invest in the app to gain exposure and to connect with like-minded people. “The horror and filmmaking community has been warm and welcoming. Every social media platform has its dark side and toxic aspects–but no other app brought me to people who liked the same things as me as fast as TikTok did,” he says. 

As a scriptwriter and aspiring filmmaker, I am always looking for advice on how to approach getting the art made and insight into the actual process. Guera says, “There’s no right time to do it. No one is waiting for your work. You have to make things that you’re passionate about and make yourself known.” If the budget is standing in the way of completing a project, he suggests shooting a portion of it or rewriting it to be something you can shoot on a micro budget. Guera emphasizes the significance of building a team and writing scripts that people can understand. “No one else is in your head. The script has to help everyone understand what you want to achieve,” he says. He admits that the biggest piece of advice that he could give is actually just being kind, which I agree is incredibly important when it comes to making indie films. “You’re going to have people working with you for free and people are there because they believe in you. Don’t make them regret that,” he says. He also highlights the seriousness of never allowing cruelness on your set. “Please and thank you go a long way. Set the temperature of the set,” Guera adds.