Other realms, portals, existential crises and looming humanoids are all components that filmmaker Darrell C. Hazelrig incorporated into his short films that are included in the Film Festival Collective. Along with the organization, The New Puppet Order, Hazelrig showcases their creative use of puppetry arts and challenges the viewer to think outside normal narrative conventions. Two of his short films, "Ed is a Portal" and "The Dark Companion," are now available on the Film Festival Collective On Demand channel!

In "Ed is a Portal," we follow a blue collar worker who just happens to have a portal in the back of his head. with the help of some toothy, sassy, taquito obsessed creatures, he tries to keep a normal life.

"The Dark Companion" delves into the mind in a less literal level. The short film is about a puppet named Howard who can see his puppeteer. His wife and friends think that he is crazy, so he decides to deal with the issue himself. It is a refreshing look at trust, mental health and courage. Even though it addresses some serious issues, the viewer will find themselves chuckling at the dark humor, situations and superb comedic timing.

Darrell C. Hazelrig is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, where he works with The New Puppet Order on mature puppet films. He is currently a Filmmaker-in-Residence at the Atlanta Film Festival. His next film is a feature called "Edgor and Izzy," about two brothers who find themselves adrift within a nightmarishly fantastical landscape of their own psychological making.