Ben Wheatley spoke at the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival about the rise of young directors achieving box office success. He promoted his 2025 film Bulk while reflecting on industry changes. The comments came as the festival runs through June 21.
Ben Wheatley appeared at the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival to promote his psychological thriller Bulk. The UK director highlighted breakout hits like Backrooms by 21-year-old Kane Parsons and Obsession by 26-year-old Curry Barker as evidence that it is a great time to be a young filmmaker.
Wheatley noted his own later start in the industry with his 2010 debut Down Terrace at age 37. He praised technology such as YouTube for enabling low-budget productions but said distribution systems remain outdated from 20 years ago.
Wheatley also discussed his experience directing the 2023 studio film The Meg 2 The Trench. He stated that larger budgets reduce creative freedom compared to micro-budget projects where weirder films are possible.
The Transilvania Intl. Film Festival runs June 12 to 21.