Filmmaker Statement

** "Killed It" was initially created for the 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, where teams are challenged to make a 5-minute short film in 5 days with at least one person with a disability in front of or behind the camera. "Killed It" was a Finalist for Best Film, making it to the Top 4 films out of 123 submissions. "Killed It" is a conceptual thriller exploring the power of words. It follows Mariko, a Japanese American bilingual actress and dancer. Her past as a troubled dancer driven by perfection and amplified by her Autism, and characterized by the literal interpretation of words, goes on to influence her reality in unpredictable ways. Mariko is played by Marisa Hamamoto, also the writer and creator of the film. The story is inspired by Marisa’s personal experiences of being Autistic, struggling to understand jokes and figurative language, and missing social cues. In the film, the casting director Julia, is played by Sharon Lee, an actor with cerebral palsy who uses a