With more than 50 independent film festival awards for Between Left and Right, JTC Films is preparing its next chapter, shifting its immediate focus to the pre-production of The Barbers, an ambitious crime thriller series set in Chicago.
Independent cinema often begins with a simple idea: a story worth telling, a group of people willing to take a risk, and the determination to bring a creative vision to life. For JTC Films, that journey has already delivered an impressive milestone. Its acclaimed short film, Between Left and Right, has earned more than 50 awards at independent film festivals worldwide, establishing the production company as an emerging creative force with ambitions that extend far beyond the short-film format.
Now, the company is preparing for its next major undertaking. While plans remain in place to expand Between Left and Right into a full-length feature film, tentatively scheduled for production in summer 2027, JTC Films has temporarily paused that development to concentrate on the pre-production of The Barbers, a crime thriller series set against the unforgiving backdrop of Chicago’s criminal underworld. With its first season planned as an eight-episode installment, the project represents a significant step in the company’s development as it enters negotiations with a popular streaming platform or television network for potential distribution and co-financing.
For JTC Films, the transition from an award-winning short film to an ambitious episodic production is about more than scale. It is about building a body of work, developing stories with lasting potential, and establishing the creative foundation for projects capable of reaching wider audiences.
The Momentum Behind Between Left and Right
The success of Between Left and Right has become an important chapter in the JTC Films story. Earning more than 50 independent film festival awards worldwide, the short film has demonstrated the team’s ability to create work that resonates within the independent filmmaking community.
Film festivals provide a distinctive environment for emerging and independent productions. Away from the machinery of major studio releases, these platforms create opportunities for filmmakers to present original ideas, connect with industry professionals, and find audiences who appreciate ambitious storytelling. Recognition across multiple festivals can also help a production gain visibility beyond its initial release, creating momentum for the people and creative teams behind it.
For JTC Films, the awards associated with Between Left and Right represent a foundation on which the company hopes to build. Rather than treating the short film as a finished chapter, the team sees an opportunity to develop its story into a feature-length production.
The planned expansion into a full-length movie, tentatively targeted for summer 2027, reflects a longer-term commitment to the project. A feature adaptation offers the possibility of exploring characters, relationships, conflicts, and dramatic developments in greater depth than a short film allows. It also presents a new creative challenge, requiring the filmmakers to reconsider the material within a broader cinematic structure.
However, filmmaking is rarely a straight line from one production to the next. Projects evolve as opportunities emerge, resources are allocated, and creative priorities shift. At JTC Films, the decision to temporarily pause the feature development of Between Left and Right reflects a strategic choice to focus the company’s immediate attention on a new opportunity.
That opportunity is The Barbers.
Entering the World of The Barbers
Set within Chicago’s criminal underworld, The Barbers is being developed as a crime thriller series with a planned three-season structure comprising 24 episodes. The first season is designed to contain eight episodes, establishing the foundation for a larger narrative that can develop over subsequent installments.
The crime thriller remains a compelling format because it allows filmmakers to explore more than criminal activity itself. At its strongest, the genre examines power, loyalty, ambition, betrayal, survival, and the consequences of decisions made under pressure. A carefully constructed crime story can offer suspense while also revealing the personal and social forces shaping the lives of its characters.
Chicago provides a fitting backdrop for a story rooted in the criminal underworld. Its recognizable urban identity and complex cultural landscape offer a setting in which questions of loyalty, authority, ambition, and control can become central to a dramatic narrative.
For JTC Films, the episodic format provides room to develop a sustained storytelling experience. Eight episodes in the first season create an opportunity to establish the central characters, introduce the series’ dramatic conflicts, and build momentum across a complete season rather than resolving everything within a single film.
The proposed three-season structure also signals that the project is being considered with a longer creative horizon in mind. While the first season is the immediate priority, the broader plan gives the team a framework for developing the series over time.
At this stage, the company is concentrating on pre-production while negotiating with a popular streaming platform or established television network. Potential distribution and co-financing arrangements could play an important role in determining the project’s eventual production pathway. No final platform or network announcement has been made, leaving the negotiations as a key development to watch.
A Creative Team with Multiple Responsibilities
At the center of JTC Films is a leadership team combining acting, writing, directing, production, and management experience. The company’s approach places its core creative personnel directly within the filmmaking process, allowing the people shaping the story to remain closely involved in its development and execution.
President and actor John Campanile is set to take on several major responsibilities for The Barbers, serving as writer, director, producer, and lead actor. His involvement across these roles places him at the center of the project’s creative direction, from the development of the screenplay to the process of translating the story into a screen production.
Simone Terranova, a director, writer, and actor, joins as co-writer, director, and lead actor. His participation brings another creative perspective to the writing and directing process while placing him within the series’ principal cast.
Eliana Manvati, a writer and actor, is contributing through production management and will also appear in the series. Her dual involvement connects the practical demands of production with the creative requirements of the project.
John David Castilla, executive producer and actor, completes the core team, contributing to the project’s production leadership while taking on a lead acting role.
This combination of responsibilities reflects the collaborative nature of independent filmmaking, where creative ambition often depends on a relatively close-knit group of professionals working across multiple disciplines. Writing, directing, acting, and production management each demand different skills, yet successful collaboration requires these elements to function as part of a unified vision.
For The Barbers, the team’s immediate challenge is to translate its concept and long-term ambitions into a production-ready project while navigating the practical considerations associated with financing, distribution, scheduling, and casting.
Building Toward a Larger Screen Presence
The decision to prioritize The Barbers does not diminish the importance of Between Left and Right. Instead, the two projects represent different stages of JTC Films’ creative ambitions.
The short film has already established a record of festival recognition, providing the company with a project it intends to revisit in feature-length form. The Barbers, meanwhile, presents an opportunity to develop a serialized narrative designed for the contemporary television and streaming landscape.
These projects also reflect two different storytelling possibilities. A feature film allows a story to unfold within a single cinematic arc, while a series can gradually expand its characters and conflicts across multiple episodes and seasons. Both formats require discipline, strong writing, and a clear understanding of the audience, but each offers distinct creative opportunities.
The current emphasis on pre-production suggests that JTC Films is focused on preparing The Barbers for the next stage of development. In the entertainment industry, this phase can involve refining scripts, organizing production requirements, developing schedules, coordinating personnel, and preparing materials for prospective distribution partners.
Negotiations with a streaming service or television network could become an important milestone in that process. Distribution and co-financing partnerships can influence a project’s financial structure, production scale, release strategy, and eventual audience reach. Until an agreement is finalized, however, the project’s distribution remains under discussion.
For an independent production company, the ability to develop projects with a clear identity while remaining adaptable to industry opportunities can be essential. JTC Films is positioning itself to pursue that balance, keeping its award-winning film on the horizon while concentrating its immediate resources on a series with room for long-form storytelling.
The Road Ahead for JTC Films
The next phase of JTC Films’ journey will be defined by execution. The recognition earned by Between Left and Right provides a meaningful achievement, but expanding that success into new formats requires fresh creative decisions, sustained collaboration, and the ability to navigate the realities of production.
For The Barbers, the immediate objectives are clear: advance pre-production, continue discussions with potential distribution partners, and prepare the eight-episode first season for its next stage. The proposed 24-episode, three-season vision gives the project a broader framework, while the first season represents the essential starting point.
Beyond the crime thriller, the planned feature adaptation of Between Left and Right remains part of the company’s future ambitions, with summer 2027 serving as its tentative production target. The current pause allows JTC Films to concentrate on The Barbers without abandoning the film that helped establish its festival reputation.
What connects these projects is a commitment to building stories with the potential to travel beyond their initial production environment. Independent filmmaking demands both creative conviction and practical decision-making, particularly for companies working to establish themselves in a competitive entertainment industry.
JTC Films has already achieved a notable milestone with Between Left and Right. Its next challenge is to translate that momentum into a new production while laying the groundwork for future feature films and episodic storytelling.
As negotiations continue and pre-production progresses, The Barbers represents the company’s immediate creative priority and a potential new chapter in its development. The eventual outcome will depend on the work still ahead, from production planning to the partnerships that may help bring the series to audiences.
For a company moving from international festival recognition toward a larger screen ambition, the direction is clear: keep developing, keep creating, and continue building projects that reflect the team’s shared vision.
JTC Films — Where Vision Meets the Screen.
