BEN SAMUELS
writer director actor
HIDE is a contained psychological thriller capturing the terror and dread of emotional gaslighting as a resilient wife fights to escape her abusive husband during pandemic lockdown. The film is partnered nationally with One Love Foundation and toured America in October 2023 for Domestic Violence Awareness Month with dozens of screening partners.
Written and Directed by Ben Samuels
Executive Produced by Mara Burros Sandler
Amy Blavin & Eric Wolf
In Association with Be Forward Productions and River Knoll Productions
HIDE was made by a cast and crew that included survivors.
Meet The Team
Ben Samuels
Writer/Director
Ben is a film and theatre maker with an emphasis on entertainment that moves and start movements. His screenplays have won the Austin Film Festival and Launchpad Screenwriting Competitions, and he is a two-time Nicholl Top 50 Finalist and current Humanitas New Voices Semifinalist. He wrote, directed, and co-starred in the ultrareal psychological thriller HIDE, about the nuances of gaslighting and intimate partner violence. The film toured America in October 2023 for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and is partnered with One Love Foundation.
Ben is currently producing THE MISSING PIECE, Executive Produced by Jason Momoa, and recently co-directed the dramatic short TYPE 1 with Anthony Rapp, starring Mary Wiseman and partnered with T1 International for National Diabetes Month.
Ben attended Tufts University and the British American Drama Academy, is a dual citizen with Canada and lives in Brooklyn.
Mara Burros Sandler
Executive Producer
Mara Burros Sandler is a dedicated activist, producer, and philanthropist with a passion for fostering healthy communities, strengthening educational and artistic institutions, and fighting bigotry. Drawing on her extensive experience in the philanthropic sector, Mara founded Be Forward Productions to advance compelling storytelling in the fields of theater and film. She is committed to seeking out stories that have the power to change and improve the world.
Some of Mara’s earliest philanthropic endeavors were motivated by personal loss. She co-founded the Janet Burros Memorial Foundation in her mother’s honor and served as the foundation’s director for 15 years.
Over the years, Mara has held governing positions at The Women’s Division of Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Director & Co-President), The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (Board Member), and, currently, the Basser Center for BRCA (Board Member). She's sat on the boards of Casa Columbia and Facing Addiction, and now supports films that shed light on this issue. Mara has also served on the boards of The Hewitt School, Facing History and Ourselves, and the 92nd Street Y. Mara is the Senior Advisor & Director of Social Impact for the Zuckerberg Institute, and she currently sits on the boards of The Afya Foundation (focused on global health), the Board of Visitors at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, the Frederick Douglass Project for Peace, and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC). In addition to her position on ARC, Mara also served on the committee for Represent Justice for the film JUST MERCY. Her work within these organizations embodies her larger commitment to fighting mass incarceration and enacting prison reform.
A graduate of UW Madison with a BA in psychology, Mara also holds an MA/Ed.m in counseling psychology from Teachers College Columbia University.
Amy Blavin
Executive Producer
Amy Blavin is the Head of Guest Relations at Mercy BioAnalytics. Dedicated to philanthropic work, Amy was on the social action committee attached to the film JUST MERCY and served as Executive Producer on THE HUNTING GROUND, MULLY, and HARRY & SNOWMAN under her For Good banner, co-founded with her husband, Paul. Together, they run the Blavin Scholars Program at the University of Michigan and Northern Arizona University, supporting over 100 students move from foster care to fulfilled dreams in post-secondary education. Amy and Paul also founded Freehab, a residential life transformation program for homeless and incarcerated women ages 18-26 that are challenged with addiction, mental illness, and homelessness. Amy served on the Board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum representing the Southwest, Thrive Scholars, and Ready to Succeed, which focuses on high-level internships and career connections for former foster youth. In all her work, Amy’s focus is to give support, respect, and love to those that are most disregarded in society.
Nadine Malouf
Lead Actress
Nadine is an Obie-winning actor most recently seen in THE WELKIN with Sandra Oh, GRIEF HOTEL at Clubbed Thumb, and MONTAG at SoHo Rep after THE VAGRANT TRILOGY and Tony Kushner’s A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY at the Public Theatre. She stars in the feature AMERICAN INSURRECTION and originated the role of Laila in the World Premiere adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s novel A THOUSAND SPLENDID SONS. Her feature film debut, Cherien Dabis’ MAY IN THE SUMMER, was an opening night premiere at Sundance and she has since been seen in HIGH MAINTENANCE, THE LOOMING TOWER, THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, and as a recurring role on HIGH FIDELITY.
Jamal Solomon
Director of Photography
Jamal won the Zeiss Precision Image Award and was DP on the Duplass Brothers's AS OF YET, which won the Nora Ephron Award at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. He previously lensed the short film FLOWERS, which won the American Black Film Festival and aired on HBO. He had favorable write-ups in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter for the feature ANGELFISH. That film went on to be featured in TIFFs 2020 Next Wave Film Festival. He previously lensed the Civil War social justice short ATTILA and music video WASTED with Ben directing.
Maren Reese
Costume Designer
Maren is Costume Designer and Fashion Stylist based in New York and Philadelphia. She has been working in Film & Television since graduating Tyler School of Art, diving deep into scripts to pull out the true essence of a character. She designed NIGHT CATCHES US starring Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington and the upcoming Hulu project THE MILL starring Lil Rel Howry. She's worked on over 50 features and shows, including SERVANT, DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE, EVIL, HUSTLE, CLERKS 3, and more. Maren connected to the HIDE script and vision immediately as a survivor and is so honored to be able to help tell this story and raise awareness for Domestic Abuse.
La Daniella
Supporting Actress
La Daniella plays ABBIE, the Client Services Director at the local women’s shelter. After a chance encounter behind masks at the grocery store, Abbie becomes pivotal in Loena’s journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment, even as she is unable to break her own cycles with her abusive girlfriend. La Daniella is a veteran stage and screen actress best known for her breakout role as Zirconia Cabrera on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.
Molly Griggs
Supporting Actress
Molly is NELL, a survivor who recently escaped her abuser but still visits him in jail. Intersecting lives with Loena at the grocery store as well, Nell shows Loena where abuse can lead before Loena’s ready to see. Later, she becomes a dear friend at a crucial moment. Molly currently stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s show SERVANT and in the stellar cast of DR. DEATH.
Justin Cunningham
Supporting Actor
Justin realizes the role of NICK, a marriage counselor and friend of Kelly and Loena’s. From the earliest scenes, Loena feels Nick’s sensitive soul and that he may understand her, but when she finally marshals the strength to ask for help, Nick is one of too many people who don’t see what’s happening behind closed doors. Justin is a powerhouse actor who made ripples with his performance on Ava DuVernay’s show WHEN THEY SEE US and stars on NBC's GRAND CREW.
