On his first dating app meet-cute, a loser finds himself fighting for romance – and maybe his life – when his date goes to increasingly bizarre lengths to make him sign up for the app’s paid subscription service.

Director Statement

LoserDate Premium might have been a cruel, self-pitying film in the hands of any other filmmaker, but there is nothing more I value in this world than empathy. This story would never work if the audience was meant to feel nothing for the protagonist. During every step of development, I strived to portray these themes and struggles as universally relatable as I know them to be. This is not a story just for dark comedy lovers and hopeless romantics. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt like the world is telling them “you’ll be alone and worthless for the rest of your life... unless you buy our product.” I am taking that fear and sending it over-the-top with LoserDate Premium, exploring it in a way that is insightful, relatable, original, and painfully hilarious.

Director Biography - Ethan Hislop

Ethan Hislop is a Maryland-based filmmaker and actor. A lover of genre deconstruction, creative problem-solving, and good old-fashioned empathy, he graduated from the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University in 2024. His 2020 semi-autobiographical short film MONKEY won him 5 trophies at Stevenson’s FMI Awards – Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Editing. He later won a second Best Screenplay award for his 2022 body horror short appearance. Additionally, His short screenplay "On Delivered" won Stevenson’s 2021 Screenwriting Competition and was produced the following year.