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Syracuse University graduate student Jack Auger, 32, has always loved watching movies and TV; his Star Wars-themed tattoo sleeve — featuring Yoda, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and more — proves that.
But, he didn’t view filmmaking as a career until 2018.
Roughly two years into his recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, Auger, disillusioned with playing music after being a guitarist in a metal band, turned to screenwriting.
“It was kind of a dark time for me creatively, and then I just started writing a screenplay based on my life and this kind of sh-tty situation that I was in in my early 20s,” Auger said. “It was my first time ever writing, but I just fell in love with it.”
Now, Auger is an award-winning filmmaker, and his 2025 short film, “Bright Future,” even got selected for last year’s Austin Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying festival. Its first showing was at SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts’ first- and second-year graduate showcase. This Sunday, the movie will be shown at Syracuse’s SASFest film festival.
Auger spent a year in college in 2012 right after high school. Auger then returned to college in January 2020, earning an associate degree in his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida.
In May 2021, Auger began studying film at the University of Central Florida. Nearly three years later, Auger proposed to his now-wife and creative partner, Hope Yohn, while the credits rolled to a shared favorite film, Richard Linklater’s “Before Midnight.”
“I always knew when I was going to propose to her, whenever that would be, we’d watch ‘Before Midnight.’ Did I think it was going to be at like 3 p.m. in the afternoon on a Thursday? No, I didn’t,” Auger said.
During their wedding, a projector played “Before Sunrise” — the first entry in Linklater’s “Before” trilogy — and “When Harry Met Sally…” in the background, Auger said.
Auger and Yohn have collaborated on several films, sharing writing credits on projects like “Bright Future” and Auger’s upcoming release, “Portrait of an Apologetic Man.”
Auger said he didn’t think he’d get into film school. After earning his bachelor’s degree from UCF in May 2024 for film, he was admitted as one of six students into UCF’s Bachelor of Fine Arts screenwriting program. Auger also didn’t think he’d get into any graduate schools but actually got accepted into most of them, he said.
Auger decided on VPA, pursuing a master’s degree in film.
Local actors Jay Merante and Amanda Kristin Cox star in the tense short film “Bright Future.” The film will be screened at SASFest on Sunday. Courtesy of Jack Auger
“Bright Future” was shot entirely at the GereBlock coworking space in Syracuse and will be screened at the Syracuse Actors Studio’s first annual SASFest this Sunday at the Palace Theatre. The six-minute movie is about a woman trying to convince her boss not to hire his son-in-law because of his bad past.
The film stars Jay Merante, a member of SAS, and Amanda Kristin Cox. Auger said he thinks the Syracuse audience will appreciate having a local actor in the project. Auger said he enjoys sharing his work in person and hopes the Syracuse audience will appreciate the film.
“It’s just great getting to hear an audience gasp at the right time, at the time where there’s a twist or a thing. And it’s just like, oh my god, I love that. I get a high off that,” Auger said.
Cox said Auger prioritized listening to women’s voices and highlighting how women are marginalized in the workplace. She described real-life interactions with Auger that parallel the film’s theme of listening to other perspectives. Despite “Bright Future” dealing with sensitive topics, Cox said she felt safe on set.
“Sometimes as a director, as a filmmaker, as a storyteller, your own story that you want to tell can be so important that maybe you don’t listen to the people around you,” Cox said. “But I just always had this sense that he just wanted to know. He was so collaborative.”
Bonnie Gross was a producer on “Bright Future” and “Portrait of an Apologetic Man.” Gross first met Auger at the 2024 Florida Film Festival while he was studying at UCF.
The festival offered a program where filmmakers could be matched with UCF students taking a film marketing class. Gross, who was screening her film, “Lady Parts,” chose to participate in the program and got paired with Auger. Gross said Auger was immediately on board and excited to help. After “Lady Parts” was screened at the festival, Gross said she remembers Auger being the first person to stand and cheer.
“He was just so himself, vulnerable and open about every aspect of life and everything going on,” Gross said. “Bringing that into his personal relationships, you can just kind of see it shine through with all the people he kind of surrounds himself with.”
Auger and Gross’ “Portrait of an Apologetic Man” will premiere on May 2 at VPA’s first- and second-year graduate showcase screening on campus.
After struggling to find actors, Auger reached out to Joe Cunningham, the president and co-founder of SAS and pitched the project at a SAS meeting. Auger said his new film is a “full-on comedy” (a change of pace for him) that mostly features SAS members and is fully filmed in the Syracuse area. With eight roles, Auger said it’s the first time he’s made a movie with more than two characters.
“He’s just a really down-to-earth guy, a really nice guy and a really talented filmmaker,” Cunningham said. “You couldn’t ask for a better guy.”
Auger said he’d like to continue making films, traveling and meeting new people. When Auger’s not in Syracuse, he resides in Denver, where Yohn is pursuing her Ph.D.
Auger and Yohn are trying to continue being involved in the Colorado film community. They made a film, “Bad Therapist,” as part of the 48 Hour Film Project in Denver.
Auger said he sees a community in Syracuse filled with great actors and filmmakers — even beyond the Hill. Auger said Cunningham has an inspiring mentality: “If one of us makes it, we’re all making it.”
“I’m just happy to be a part of this (Syracuse) community while I’m here,” Auger said. “I’m glad that I seem to have had some success working with people, and they like to work with me.”
