APTITUDE
Release Date: 2025 (to be announced)
Runtime: 20m
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Created as a part of the AFI DWW+ 2025
Director: Natasha Mynhier
Written by: Alexa Polivka, Natasha Mynhier
Producers: Josh Pitta, Austin Chen, Natasha Stassen
DP: Hannah Platzer
Editor: Eli James
Original Music: Shirley Song
Prod. Design: Camila Rodriguez
Exec. Prods: Ryan Donnell Smith, Geri Randall, David Van Dyke, Shane Strickman
Prod. Company: 37 Laines
About the Film
In a near-future society where a high-stakes virtual exam dictates one’s future, a disadvantaged student must decide whether to risk everything by cheating or accept a system designed for her to fail.
Why I Made This Film: The Future of Aptitude Testing
Standardized aptitude testing is evolving rapidly, with more gamified and AI-driven exams claiming they can define a person’s value, potential, and future based on their advanced assessment capabilities. These tests increasingly shape education, hiring, and social mobility—often reinforcing existing inequalities tied to educational advantage, socioeconomic privilege, and technological bias. But can a test truly measure a person’s worth?
I created this film to explore a near future where standardized testing goes too far, offering a thought-provoking and entertaining look at why no exam can define a person’s value. Set in a world that blends grounded storytelling with sci-fi concerns, the film challenges the notion that our worth can be quantified—and reminds us that only we can determine our own value.
