IT'S NOT REAL (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

IT'S NOT REAL follows filmmaker Timothy Grandia as a short-film project grows increasingly complicated. Blending documentary, drama and comedy in a fragmented semi-documentary format, the 14-minute film turns its attention toward creative identity, self-reflection and the pressures of making art in the present day.

IT'S NOT REAL is a 2026 documentary drama with comic elements, written and directed by Timothy Grandia. Running for 14 minutes, it centers on the making of a short film that gradually becomes more personal and demanding than originally planned.

The film uses a chaotic, fragmented, semi-documentary approach to examine the creative process. Rather than presenting filmmaking as a straightforward project, it follows Grandia as the work prompts questions about his own identity as a filmmaker and the place of art in contemporary life.

IT'S NOT REAL movie details

Story without spoilers

The film follows Timothy Grandia while he attempts to complete a short film also titled IT'S NOT REAL. What begins as a simple creative assignment develops into a more complicated undertaking, requiring him to look closely at himself and his reasons for making art.

Its narrative is presented through a fragmented, semi-documentary style, combining documentary, drama and comedy. The focus remains on the process of creation and the self-reflection that emerges as the project takes shape, without reducing the story to a conventional behind-the-scenes account.

What to expect

Viewers can expect an experimental narrative built around filmmaking and self-examination. The supplied genre information points to a blend of documentary observation, dramatic reflection and comedy, while the fragmented structure suggests a deliberately unconventional presentation rather than a straightforward plot.

At 14 minutes, IT'S NOT REAL is a compact film centered on creative work, artistic identity and the changing nature of a project as its maker becomes more deeply involved in it. Its tagline, “WHAT DID YOU DO THIS SUMMER?”, adds another personal point of entry to the film’s premise.

Cast and creative team

Timothy Grandia serves as the film’s director and appears as Timothy Grandia. He is also the only credited cast member supplied for the film. No writers are separately credited in the available information.

• Timothy Grandia as Timothy Grandia

Release and production context

IT'S NOT REAL is listed as a 2026 release, with a release date of September 4, 2026. It is listed as released and has a runtime of 14 minutes. The supplied metadata identifies its genres as Documentary, Drama and Comedy, with self-reflection and experimental narrative among its keywords. No country, spoken language or production company is listed.

Movies Dock view

With its short running time and semi-documentary structure, IT'S NOT REAL is framed as a focused exploration of how making a film can become an examination of the filmmaker. Its subject is the creative process itself, especially the way an apparently simple project can evolve into a more personal artistic question.

Film data:
TMDB