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Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina Film Commission, in partnership with Trident Technical College, is proud to announce the latest selections for their Indie Grants program, a visionary initiative designed to fuel the growth of South Carolina’s film and television production industry.

These grants provide crucial funding for independent short film projects while offering valuable hands-on training opportunities for the state’s emerging production workforce.

“The Indie Grants program stands apart by not only supporting the artistic vision of filmmakers but also by serving as a bridge for employment,” said Matt Storm, Director of the South Carolina Film Commission. “Each selected project is produced with professional crews from top to bottom, with emerging crew members working under those professionals as immersive, practical experience.”

“We want to make sure the state remains competitive in the ever-evolving entertainment content industry,” said Glenn Seale, Dean of Film, Media, and Visual Arts at Trident Technical College. “This strategic commitment not only nurtures homegrown talent but also helps to secure a prosperous and diverse economic future for South Carolina.”

The short film projects selected for 2025-26 are:

• BROTHERS IN ARMS (Greenville, SC, and Charleston, SC)
  • Under the thumb of his tyrant uncle, a conniving entrepreneur manipulates his younger brother into a sinister scheme to secure their inheritance.
• THE DAIRY BAR (Columbia, SC)
  • Gladys Ravanell, deep in debt, fights to keep her beloved, family-owned Dairy Bar alive, learning that blood may be thicker than water, but not cold hard cash.

“Brothers In Arms is a family drama centering around themes of unchecked ambition,” said Tim Driscoll, co-writer/director of the project. “We were inspired by Shakespearian classics like Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth, and wanted to create that kind of intrigue in a southern gothic environment.”

“As an arts educator who returns to his alma mater to teach acting, I know the importance and thrill of passing along craft and tradition to help nurture our next generation,” said Zach Fike Hodges, writer and producer of The Dairy Bar. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to invest in the rich talent in South Carolina, and to be part of this journey.”

The short films produced through Indie Grants are more than training environments; they are compelling stories that showcase the rich tapestry of South Carolina’s culture, creativity, and talent, and show off the state as a dynamic hub for film and television production.

For more information about the Indie Grants program and the selected projects, please visit the South Carolina Film Commission’s website at indiegrants.org.

FILMMAKER BIOS

Brothers In Arms

• Tim Driscoll, Co-Writer/Director
  • Tim Driscoll is an award-winning director, producer, and editor who has created content for Sony PlayStation, YouTube, 3M, ViewSonic and the Food Network, which have generated millions of views across Youtube, Facebook, Snapchat, Tiktok, and secured a DRUM award win. His feature work includes the festival darling The Lengths, the meta comedy, Teardrop Goodbye with Mandatory Directorial Commentary from Remy von Troute, and the family crime dramedy, Velvet. In 2025 Driscoll embarked on a new venture with producer Cody Gallo. Together they launched CNMA Teklab and Yupe Creative, an AI sourced, people focused, creative production and marketing agency.
• Zeus Xavier Scott, Co-Writer
  • Zeus is an Army veteran and recent graduate of Flagler College’s acting program where he donned the stage more than five times in his three-year career. He is an award-winning spoken word artist and rapper and frequent collaborator with Tim Driscoll. Their last project together was the award-winning music video for Scott’s Happiness Rides Shotgun.
• David Girard, Producer
  • David is a veteran of the screen and stage, having performed in dozens of plays and films, including Franklin Ritch’s acclaimed sci-fi feature, The Artifice Girl, which premiered at Fantasia and the SXSW film festivals. Girard made his cinematic directing debut in 2025 with his award-winning short film, Normal.
• Andrew Fallon, Producer
  • An Iranian-American raised in the US South, Andrew draws on his “outsider” perspective as a multidisciplinary artist and director for brands. He is particularly passionate about crafting bold narratives inspired by those on the edges: the underdogs, the outsiders, and the underrepresented. Over his 15-year career, Andrew has spearheaded a range of award-winning work, from commercials and branded content to title sequences and music videos. PGA, Oracle, FIS, and Showtime are just a handful of clients he has partnered with at TigerLily, while picking up national ADDY and Telly Awards.

The Dairy Bar

• Zach Fike Hodges, Writer/Producer
  • Zach is an actor, writer, and theatre educator from Columbia, SC. Recent film credits include Descent (opposite Maura Tierney, directed by Tess Goldwyn), Eleanor the Great (dir. Scarlett Johansson), and My Bird Is Sick! (opposite Janeane Garofolo, executive produced by Cate Blanchett). He is an Elliot Norton nominated actor, and his work has been seen on stages across the country including off-Broadway, The Kennedy Center, The Huntington, and New York's iconic LaMama. He is a company member of KrymovLab NYC, regularly devising new work for the theatre with acclaimed Russian auteur Dmitry Krymov. He is a teaching artist for New York Theatre Workshop and a graduate of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, where he returns to Chair the Ninth Grade Acting summer program.
• Tess Goldwyn, Director/Producer
  • Tess’s short films have screened at Boston Film Festival, Film Shortage, Hollyshorts Screening Series and New York International Shorts, among others. Her most recent short Descent stars Maura Tierney, and was co-conceived with Zach Fike Hodges. Tess’s debut feature I’m Your Dog is rated among the top 1% of screenplays on blacklist.com and is set to go into production summer 2026.
• Bria Brown, Producer
  • Bria is from Lexington, SC, and is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. Bria is an actor, filmmaker and an eager storyteller, and produces creative media with non-profits, small businesses, and creatives to tell their stories. Bria co-hosted and produced Hear Us, a podcast centering the voices of youth who have moved through the justice system.

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