Filmmaker Statement

Hello, my name is E. Hughes Martinez and I’m the writer, director, and producer of The 4th Branch. I wrote the script during COVID, flipping between CNN and Fox News I realized how different the same story could be spun. It felt like two separate realities, which made me wonder: can any story ever be truly free of bias? That question became the seed for this film. The 4th Branch is a dark comedy and satire about the media as the so-called “fourth branch of government.” It reflects the world we live in today — a world where truth is packaged, distorted, and sold. The film follows Aldo Kane, a young journalist whose first assignment spirals into a web of deception, forcing him to confront the blurred line between fact and fiction. This is a story for right now, because it’s about the flood of information we consume daily and the way it shapes us. I want audiences to laugh, reflect, and ultimately question their own beliefs.