Vancouver Film School alumni film ‘The Beanstalk’ dominates at Independent Horror Movie Awards

When your student short film becomes a festival darling, you know you’ve done something right! Vancouver Film School Film Production alum Elias Olsson’s hard work on his film The Beanstalk is paying off, receiving international acclaim on the festival circuit – most notably at the Independent Horror Movie Awards, where it received a total of 4 wins. 

Equal parts unsettling, surreal, and impossible to forget – the film began right here on VFS campus with a passionate crew of Elias’ VFS cohort. Together, they’ve created something truly imaginative & fascinating, and festival audiences around the world are eating it up. Learn how a VFS student film – with its twisted take on grief and transformation – is earning recognition from Canada to Sweden. 

THE BEANSTALK: FROM STUDENT FILM TO FESTIVAL SUCCESS  

If you’re looking for thrills & chills – The Beanstalk is definitely for you!  

The short follows Jack (Lucas Tranch) who, paralyzed by grief after his mother's death, isolates himself in her old home, obsessively caring for her plants. When her ashes accidentally mix with the soil of her favorite azalea, something unnatural takes root and Jack falls ill, discovering a growing, tumor-like entity inside him that speaks to him in a familiar voice. What follows is a surreal, visceral reckoning with grief, guilt, and rebirth, culminating in the birth of a mysterious child. 

With a synopsis like that, it’s no surprise that the film has been dominating the festival circuit: At the Independent Horror Movie Awards, the film won Best Short, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Special Effects, receiving an additional 6 nominations for Directing, Acting and more.  

At Kinematora Film Festival in Sweden, The Beanstalk was also nominated for Best Student Film. The film is also currently nominated at Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, with the specific categories pending. 

VFS ROOTS: INSIDE THE BEANSTALK’S PRODUCTION 

‘Collaboration’ has always been at the heart of Vancouver Film School’s training model. Our students don’t just learn side by side – they create together, within and across our programs. Film Production students create with our Acting, Makeup, Sound Design, and Writing programs. our Game Design students team up with Programming and Animation students – the list goes on! VFS creates an environment that IS industry – one built on teamwork. 

So, it’s no surprise that The Beanstalk brought together an incredible 29 VFS alumni for its production. From Line Producers to Assistant Directors, Grips, Set Decorators, Editors, and countless roles in between, this project was a true VFS family affair from start to finish. While most students are from VFS Film Production, there were also multiple students from our Sound Design for Visual Media program. 

Q&A WITH THE CREATIVE MIND BEHIND ‘THE BEANSTALK’ 

It’s always a pleasure to catch up with our VFS creators! We recently spoke with Elias about his film, his experience at VFS, and what’s next in his career: 

Tell us all everything about The Beanstalk!  

The Beanstalk began as a way to explore grief through a surreal and body-horror lens. I was interested in telling a story where loss doesn’t just affect a character emotionally but physically, where it quite literally grows inside of them. I’d been thinking a lot about how people inherit emotional burdens, especially within families, and the concept evolved. 

The production was intense, but deeply rewarding. We shot it over three days in a single apartment location, which we slowly transformed into an overgrown, plant-infested greenhouse. It was a small crew, almost entirely consisting of fellow VFS students, so collaboration was everything. The fact that it was a student film meant that we had very limited resources, but that limitation forced us to be creative. I was very lucky to work with a tight, dedicated crew where everyone brought something to the table, and everyone was totally on board with the weirdness of the story. 

Post-production was chaotic but very fun. There’s very little dialogue in parts of the film as it’s just Jack by himself in his apartment, so the sound had to carry a lot of emotional weight. The creaking of floorboards, the beating heart of the creature inside of him, the liminal soundtrack, they are all supposed to reflect Jack’s deteriorating mental state.  

How did it feel to finally release this film into the world?  

Releasing the film was equal parts terrifying and cathartic. It’s such a strange piece, and I honestly didn’t know how people would respond to something so specific in tone and style.  Would people get it, or just think it was too weird? But seeing the film start to get attention and recognition has been incredibly validating.  

It must be an amazing feeling to receive all of this industry recognition!  

It still feels a bit unreal. We went into this just wanting to make the best film we could within the time and budget constraints of school. So, to now have it be recognized by festivals and win awards is surreal. We were just trying a bunch of things and weren’t quite sure what would work and what wouldn’t, so getting recognition for that has been very validating. The recognition has definitely opened a few doors and gotten people curious about my work, which I’m incredibly grateful for.  

Can you describe your VFS student experience? How pivotal was your VFS training for your career? 

VFS was honestly one of the most formative periods of my life. It’s an intense, full-on program where you’re constantly creating, problem-solving, and learning to work under pressure. The best part was how hands-on it was. You’re not just sitting in lectures; you’re out there making films, collaborating with other departments, learning every aspect of production from development to delivery. 

I came in with editing experience, but VFS taught me how to think more holistically as a filmmaker, how to write with production in mind, how to communicate with actors, and how to make fast decisions without losing sight of the story. It also gave me the environment to experiment. The Beanstalk is the kind of film I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to make outside of that structure. In terms of skill-building and confidence, it was absolutely pivotal.  

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout making this film? 

First: Trust your gut, but don’t be precious. There were moments where I had to let go of certain shots or ideas because they just didn’t work, and it always made the film better. 

Second: Surround yourself with people who believe in the vision. This film could never have been made without a cast and crew that bought into the weirdness and gave it their all. 

And third: Sound is not secondary. I always cared about sound as an editor, but making The Beanstalk really showed me how integral it is for mood, pacing, and even storytelling. Some of the emotional beats landed because of the subtle sound work, not in spite of it.  

What’s next for The Beanstalk? And for your careers! 

We’re continuing to submit The Beanstalk to more festivals, and I’m hoping to get it screened in Sweden soon, ideally somewhere with an audience open to the weird and heartfelt. As for me, I’ve just moved back to Stockholm after graduating from VFS, and I’m looking for work in the industry. I’m also writing a new project which will hopefully end up being a longer-form film that plays with Swedish mythology and visual surrealism – something in the vein of Over the Garden Wall meets illustrator John Bauer.  

Long-term, I’d love to keep exploring that intersection between genre and emotional storytelling, whether that’s through directing, editing, or writing. I’m not in a rush, I just want to keep making things that feel honest, strange, and human. 

READY TO MAKE YOUR OWN FILMS? 

In just 1 short year, you can break into your next creative era as a director, producer, cinematographer, and beyond at Vancouver Film School. Our Film Production program has been recognized as a top school by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and MovieMaker time and time again. 

Why? 

Because the experience VFS offers is unparalleled. Our fast-track film production training is led by an industry-experienced faculty in a world-class production center where you’ll create a powerful portfolio that will be your calling card to the entertainment industry. If you’re ready to start your industry training, book an appointment with a VFS Advisor today.   

Read about other recent VFS Film Production success stories, including Gabriel Souza Nunes & Aries Ceta’s Voices with Impact grant and our alumni who are leading the Sundar Prize Mentorship Program.  

FAQ 

1. Who were the alumni that worked on the award-winning short film from VFS The Beanstalk, and what were their roles? 

VFS Film Production: 

• Elias Olsson (Director, Writer, Editor) 
• Beni Boucher (Producer) 
• Gonzalo Rafael Valadez (Line Producer) 
• Mikail Murshed (Editor) 
• Ehan Kim (1st AD) 
• Jackson Lee (2nd AD) 
• Rylan Cain (Script Supervisor) 
• John Wei Cameron (BTS Photographer) 
• George Zhao (BTS Photographer) 
• Luke Martindale (BTS Photographer) 
• Jeffrey Fang (DoP/Cam Op/Jib, Slider Op) 
• Nolan Fielding (1st AC) 
• Jonathan Castelleron (2nd AC) 
• Rodrigo Fernandez (Gaffer) 
• Artur Kaliush (Key Grip) 
• Oscar Kunz (Jib/Slider Grip) 
• Amber Ao (G/E) 
• Lewis Chen (G/E) 
• Haley Wheeler (Production Designer) 
• Arizona Ruby Clarkson (Art Director) 
• Julia Ulbrich (Set Decorator) 
• Thomas De Castillo Freire (Art Assistant) 
• Mary Travis (Costume Designer) 
• Aung Than (Props) 
• Sean Baker (Colorist) 
• Noah Hughes (Editing Assistant/DMT) 

VFS Sound Design for Visual Media:  

• Camila Espinosa (Boom Op) 
• Jose Pina (Sound Mixer) 
• Andres Valero (Sound Designer, Foley, Mixing, ADR) 

2. What awards has The Beanstalk won? 

The film dominated the Independent Horror Movie Awards, winning Best Short, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Special Effects, with additional nominations at Kinematora Film Festival in Sweden and the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. 

3. Where can I learn more about VFS’s Film Production program? 

To learn more about the program, how to apply, and how VFS helps launch filmmaking careers, visit https://vfs.edu/programs/film-production.  

 

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