Geffri Maya, Angela Lewis, Jamad Mays and Jack Seavor McDonald lead the cast of Caterpillar, an experimental romantic thriller written and directed by Dennis Williams II.
Williams, who was selected for SHOOT’s 22nd Annual New Directors Showcase and Vanishing Angle’s Short-to-Feature Lab, is known for his character-driven stories with a strong cultural perspective.
His latest film, Caterpillar, centers on a lonely actor who discovers a way to bring the chatbot he loves into the real world—but only for 24 hours. Through this premise, Williams exposes the illusion of artificial intimacy and challenges audiences to consider what we risk losing when generative AI becomes a substitute for human connection. Caterpillar recently wrapped principal photography and is now in post-production ahead of a planned festival run.
“Caterpillar is a protest against generative AI and the way technology can erase our history and conscience,” said Williams. “At its heart, it’s about preserving our humanity by finding connection with one another, even as technology offers to simulate that connection.”
Caterpillar is a Campsight production, produced by Beau Gaines, Pokey Spears and Korey Smallwood. Casting by Irie Williams. Panavision partnered with the production, providing camera equipment and lenses.
Maya is best known for her portrayal of Simone Hicks on The CW’s All American, later reprising the role as the lead of its spinoff series, All American: Homecoming. Her notable performances include Khadijah Brown in FX’s critically acclaimed Snowfall and Maya Bennett in ABC’s Private Practice.
Lewis is best known for her portrayal of the dynamic “Aunt Louie,” Angela Lewis captivated audiences across all six seasons of FX’s critically acclaimed series SNOWFALL.
Mays is best-known for his ability to bring depth and authenticity to roles in projects like FBI: Most Wanted, Power Book II: Ghost, and P-Valley.
McDonald is known for his roles in Peacock’s Emmy-nominated Ted, Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, Amazon Prime’s Ick, and CBS’s Why Women Kill.