'Jackals & Fireflies' Trailer: Charlie Kaufman Shot His Upcoming Short In Secret On A Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

What’s Charlie Kaufman been up to since he made “I’m Thinking Of Ending Things” for Netflix in 2020? Shooting a short film in secret, it seems, on a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (via journo Sean Malin). Samsung has a trailer for the short entitled “Jackals & Fireflies” and says that it’s “coming soon.” How soon? Well, that’s unclear.

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So, what else is out there about “Jackals & Fireflies?” “Blonde” cinematographer Chayse Irvin shoots the film, and Eva H.D. pens the short’s script. Kaufman features “Bonedog,” a poem by H.D., in “I’m Thinking Of Ending Things,” so no surprise that the poet returns to work on the short.  

Outside of that, the 30-second teaser provides only an alluring mix of various images: a woman in a red t-shirt looks into the camera from a restaurant booth; a dragon kite soars during a parade; a woman walks under a bridge, tendril-like strings spooling out from her limbs. It’s hard to grasp the narrative here, if there’s any, but a woman’s voice-over recollects seeing someone at a wedding and her memories losing clarity. So, expect “Jackals & Fireflies” to be an allusive short from Kaufman.

As for other future Kaufman projects, the writer/director is currently developing an HBO limited series based on his unproduced screenplay “I.Q. 83.” There’s also Kaufman’s script on dreams for Ryan Gosling‘s production company, as well as an adapted screenplay of Yōko Ogawa‘s 1984 novel “The Memory Police,” for “The Rhythm Section” director Reed Morano.  

Check out the trailer for “Jackals & Fireflies” below.