IB Film student Justin Castaro debuts 11-minute neo‑noir made entirely solo

Justin Castaro, an IB Film student, told the IB Film Show he produced, wrote, shot, edited and scored his 11-minute short film "You Guys Lost" entirely on his own, a departure from the collaborative model most IB Film seniors use.

The episode, hosted by Mister Shotwell, featured a conversation about Castaro's approach and a screening of the film. Castaro described the project as "exactly 11 minutes" in length and called it a "neo noir" that reflected his interest in darker, Fincher‑inspired storytelling.

Why it matters: Castaro said completing all creative roles himself — writing, cinematography, direction, editing and music — gave him complete creative control and required technical work typically shared among collaborators. On the IB Film curriculum, which often emphasizes group production, a single‑creator project of this scope is notable for demonstrating a wide set of production skills.

Castaro told Shotwell he handled every stage: "I had to do the editing by myself, the cinematography that I wrote the story. I did everything." He said the solo workflow was "definitely different" from past, collaborative projects but ultimately "rewarding." Shotwell noted the film's length and ambition; Castaro confirmed the running time and said the film leaned into a neo‑noir aesthetic, citing filmmakers such as David Fincher as influences and mentioning an earlier project inspired by Bong Joon Ho's Memories of Murder.

The film includes multiple locations, Castaro said, including scenes set in a Nassau County bar and a house on "21 Maple Street." He said a friend who owns a bar agreed to let him shoot during the day, and that the location is roughly 20 minutes away; Castaro said some actors were reluctant to travel and did not want to return for reshoots, but the director said he "got everything we needed." Shotwell complimented the bar scenes and the film's production values.

On the episode, Shotwell and Castaro also discussed narrative elements and motivations for taking on a solo project. Castaro said the autonomy let him craft performances and camera setups to match his vision and that having a new computer accelerated postproduction work. The show closed with a screening of "You Guys Lost."

The discussion on the IB Film Show was a conversation and demonstration; no official actions, approvals or votes were taken.

Future note: Castaro described the short as his final IB Film project before moving on from the program.