The Making of ‘Cracked’ and the Power of DIY Filmmaking with Jessica Rizk and Soren Anderson

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Jessica Rizk (director, writer, producer, animator) and Soren Anderson (composer and sound designer) to unpack the creation of Cracked — a haunting, hand-drawn 2D animated short exploring mental health, self-neglect, and emotional collapse.

Over the course of a two-year DIY production, Cracked was animated frame-by-frame, scored from scratch, and built without shortcuts — revealing the true scope of independent animation today.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🎨 What it really takes to make a hand-drawn animated short (24 frames per second, no safety net)
• 🧠 How mental health and self-neglect shaped the story, visuals, and pacing
• 💡 Why flickering light, grime, and stillness were used as psychological storytelling tools
• 🎼 DIY sound design & Foley work — from cracked eggs to handmade thunder
• 🤖 Animation vs. AI — where technology helps and where human creativity must remain
• 🎥 Turning a short film into a feature-length proof of concept
• 💍 Collaborating creatively as a married filmmaking team
• 🎞️ Premiering on the festival circuit, including Dances With Films New York

Cracked is a powerful example of how independent filmmakers can create deeply resonant, festival-ready work with limited resources — if they’re willing to commit fully to the craft.

🎟️ Cracked premieres at Dances With Films New York — Midnight Block, January 16.