Ryan Gillis is an LA-based director, animator and writer.
Ryan Gillis is a filmmaker whose work feels deeply tied to his roots in Florida. I’m actually more drawn to his earlier, school-era projects than his later studio commercial work. The student films feel more personal, strange, and risky, like he was following instinct rather than industry expectations. There’s a sense of curiosity and freedom in them that really resonates with me. Ryan talked about how growing up in Florida shaped his visual language. It made me see how place and personal history can quietly shape an artist's method of storytelling. That’s why I connect more with his student work, it feels rooted in lived experience, not polished for a brand or network.
One of those films is Palm Rot, his USC. The film has no dialogue or voice-over at all; everything is communicated through sound, rhythm, and atmosphere. As the insects multiply and the environment reacts, even the palm trees eventually lift off into the sky. It feels surreal and a metaphor for nature rclaiming the earth against humanity. The insects remind me of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Studio Ghibli. The film's ambiguity makes the story stronger; Ryan leaves space for interpretation and trusts the audience to figure it out.