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In this 20 minute film adaptation of Stephen King's short story of the same name, a destitute hitchhiking college dropout meets the girl of his fantasies at a local diner, stirring up fury-fueled bloodlust that she seems to encourage, almost too completely.
NONA, written and directed by Riley Card and Shaun Rousso, tackles themes of ego, masculinity, and emotional entitlement through the lens of a disallusioned drifter seeking attachment. In a midwestern setting, Stephen King's cold-blooded murders are reinterpreted with a modern spin, cool cinematic tone, and captivating performance of lust–-and bloodlust.
Meet The Team
Riley Card
Writer/Director/Co-Producer
Riley Card is a student of Film & Media Studies and Linguistics. She has worked in production with Instigate Productions, management with Epicenter Agency, reality TV post production and music with ITV America, and even script data analytics with StoryFit. Riley loves to write and is the author of an episodic sci fi novel called The Future Chronicles. In her spare time, you can find Riley running in forest park, exploring the city, or hiking with her friends and two little sisters.
Shaun Rousso
Writer/Director
Shaun Rousso is a senior studying Film Production and Computer Science. He has been a storyteller since the second grade — when he developed a short story series about a super-powered chicken parmesan. Most recently, Shaun wrote and directed a full-length psychological horror play. As an avid film lover, he is ecstatic to bridge his creative sensibilities with the work of one of the greatest artists in the horror genre.
Sophie Weiss
Producer
Sophie Weiss, class of 2026, is currently a student at Washington University in St. Louis where she is majoring in Film and Media Studies: Production, and minoring in the Business of Entertainment. Sophie has been taking film classes since she was in eighth grade and is currently an editor for the podcast Cinema Sounds and Secrets. Now You See Me (2013) is Sophie’s favorite film, and was one of the first led to her interest in film production.
Alan Zhou
Director of Photography
Alan is a sophomore from Portland, OR studying Film & Media Studies and Political Science. He is a co-founder of the WashU Film Club and a teaching assistant for the intro to filmmaking class. As a cinematographer, he loves to create interesting visuals that convey emotion and set the tone for a film. He recently became the proud owner of a Sony FX30 video camera.
Sydney Hlavaty
Director of Photography
Sydney is a senior in the fine arts school studying photography. She’s been an avid storyteller since she was young, whether that be through writing, illustration, theatre, or film. She is excited to explore cinematography as an extension of her photographic practice.