Discover Stooper (2025), a compelling narrative short film by Bennett Watanabe. Get exclusive details, release info, and updates on this anticipated project.
🏇 Stooper (2025) — Narrative Short Film by Bennett Watanabe
A taut, 14‑minute burst of grit and intimacy, Stooper gallops into the underbelly of Los Angeles’ horse‑racing world — not from the grandstands, but from the dirt‑level view of those who live and work behind the spectacle. Written and directed by Bennett Watanabe, the film stars Emile Hirsch alongside Valor Hirsch and June Yoon, delivering a story that’s as much about survival and connection as it is about the track itself.
🧭 Overview
- Genre: Narrative Short / Drama
- Director & Writer: Bennett Watanabe 🎬
- Producers: Eliel Ford, Brendan Garrett
- Director of Photography: Emerson Duggan 🎥
- Editor & VFX: Neal Farmer
- Production Designer: Eric Hersey
- Music: Jake Nadrich & Sam D.W. Smith 🎼
- Runtime: ~14 minutes
- Release Date: June 5, 2025 (United States)2
- Filming Location: Santa Anita Park, Los Angeles, California 🏟️
Watch full short:
Starring:
Emile Hirsch and Valor Hirsch
- Written and Directed by Bennett Watanabe
- Producers: Eliel Ford, Brendan Garrett
- Director of Photography: Emerson Duggan
- Editor: Neal Farmer
- Production Designer: Eric Hersey
- Art Director: Finley Harlocker
- Costume Designer: Amelia Kring
- Music: Jake Nadrich and Sam D.W. Smith
- Casting: Cathi Carlton
- First Assistant Camera: Mike Lemnitzer
- Second Assistant Camera: Jake Duggar
- Gaffer: Tate McCurdy
- Best Boy Electric: Wei “Colvin” Ang
- Key Grip: Han “Tiger” Whitesides
- Best Boy Grip: Sam Satossky
- Assistant Director: Rebecca Weston
- Production Assistant: Robert Main
- Art PA: Andres Julian Hernandez Miyarez Garza
- Art PA: Enrique Gabriel Perez
- Casting Assistant: Rosemary Boyce
- Sound Design and Mix: Jack Sobo
- Production Sound: Justin Fox
- Colorist: Nick Metcalf
- VFX: Neal Farmer
Additional Cast:
- June Yoon as Track Rat
- Deb Marcano as Teller
- Lew Stowers as Fairplex Announcer
Filmed at Santa Anita Park in Los Angeles, California
📖 Story in Brief
The title Stooper comes from the slang for those who scour racetrack grounds for discarded betting slips — a job that’s part scavenger hunt, part survival tactic.
In Watanabe’s telling, the stooper’s life is a mix of hustle, hope, and hard truths:
- The grind: Long days under the California sun, eyes scanning the ground for overlooked tickets.
- The gamble: Every slip could be worthless… or a hidden jackpot.
- The human thread: A father‑son dynamic (Emile & Valor Hirsch) that plays out in glances, gestures, and unspoken understanding.
- The outsiders’ view: June Yoon’s “Track Rat” character adds texture to the racetrack’s micro‑community — a world of regulars, dreamers, and ghosts of bets past.
🎨 Creative DNA & Style
- Authentic location work: Shooting at Santa Anita Park gives the film a lived‑in realism — the smell of turf, the echo of hoofbeats, the hum of the crowd.
- Naturalistic performances: Hirsch’s grounded delivery makes the stooper’s quiet dignity feel earned, not romanticized.
- Visual grit: Emerson Duggan’s cinematography leans into sun‑bleached tones and shadowy interiors, mirroring the highs and lows of the racetrack hustle.
- Sound as texture: Jack Sobo’s sound design layers ambient track noise with the rustle of paper slips — a constant reminder of the stooper’s hunt.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
- Survival on the margins: Finding ways to live in a system built for someone else’s win.
- Family bonds: How shared struggle can forge — or strain — relationships.
- Luck vs. labor: The tension between chance windfalls and the grind it takes to find them.
- Invisible economies: The unglamorous work that props up glamorous industries.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
- 🎯 Immersive world‑building: You feel the dust, the heat, the pulse of the track.
- 🧩 Compact storytelling: Every shot and line serves the narrative.
- 💬 Subtext‑rich dialogue: What’s unsaid often hits hardest.
Cons
- ⏳ Short runtime: Leaves you curious about the characters’ lives beyond the frame.
- 🌀 Niche setting: Those unfamiliar with racetrack culture may need a moment to acclimate.
💡 Humanized Takeaway
Stooper 2025 short film isn’t about winning big — it’s about the people who keep showing up, scanning the ground for a break, and finding meaning in the search itself. Watanabe crafts a story that’s both specific to the racetrack and universal in its portrayal of resilience, quiet hope, and the bonds that keep us going.
🔍 Find More & Watch
- IMDb listing for Stooper — cast, crew, and release info
- European Film Academy profile — production credits and festival details