The Injectionist | OFFICIAL

Don Castro (www.doncastro.com) is a Manila-born American actor and filmmaker based in New York City. He has performed extensively in Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and regional theaters across the country. Don has dedicated much of his career to bringing original characters to life in bold new work written by notable playwrights, such as Pia Wilson, Christopher Chen, Zhu Yi, Ife Olujobi, Sanaz Toossi, Leah Nanako Winkler, and many others.

On screen, Don has appeared in several guest and recurring roles on TV shows and in major feature films. Memorable moments include an elaborately cinematic death in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, sharing laughs with Robert De Niro in The Wizard of Lies, taking Patti LuPone to TV jail in Pose, hearing Stanley Kubrick stories as told by Vincent D’Onofrio on the set of Marvel's Daredevil, being stared down by Nicole Kidman in a scene from The Goldfinch, sharing selfies and scenes with Larenz Tate in Power Book II: Ghost, and yes — surviving a subway shark attack in Sharknado 2: The Second One.

Filmmaking for Don has emerged as the next phase in his artistry. His debut short film, Your blue heart, has screened at various film festivals nationally and internationally, including San Diego Filipino Film Festival, Micheaux Film Festival, Queens World Film Festival, Katra Film Series (world premiere), Kaminari Japan Film Festival (Winner, Best Short Film), and Cebu International Film Festival (Winner, Best Short Narrative), among others. Your blue heart was offered distribution upon its first film festival screening, and is now currently available to stream via several apps through Roku TV, Vizio, and iWantTFC.com (The Filipino Channel), accessible to over 11 million viewers worldwide. This summer, Your blue heart will stream with Emmy award-winning CUNY TV as part of their curated collection of short films that were official selections at the NYC Indie Theater Film Festival.

The Injectionist is his next film project.

Photo by Patrick Francisco

Renowned for his emotionally evocative cinematography in Your blue heart, Katsumi Funahashi returns as Director of Photography, bringing his signature visual poetry to The Injectionist. A longtime creative partner of Don Castro, their collaboration spans everything from intimate indie short films to acclaimed network television. With The Injectionist, Katsumi is thrilled to craft a hauntingly beautiful visual experience that breathes life into the story's dark allure.

A graduate of Hofstra University with a B.A. in Film Studies and Production, Katsumi has directed, written, and edited numerous acclaimed short films through his film production company, Et Tu Films (www.ettufilms.com). His work, Playing a Pianist, garnered critical recognition, earning a nomination for Best Domestic Short Film at the prestigious 7th Annual Queens Film Festival.

With an impressive portfolio spanning broadcast television, documentaries, commercials, and over 20 short films, Katsumi has established himself as a trusted and innovative voice behind the camera. His visual storytelling is marked by emotional depth, technical mastery, and a relentless commitment to cinematic excellence. Whether crafting intimate character portraits or dynamic commercial content, Katsumi brings a unique blend of global perspective and local expertise that continues to captivate audiences and collaborators alike.

Alex Ryaboy is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and audio engineer. He holds a Master’s degree in Music Technology from New York University, where he completed the prestigious Tonmeister Honors Track program. As an engineer and producer, he records, mixes, and masters music for both bands and solo artists, and has worked with artists such as Maggie Rogers, Gogol Bordello, Ministry, and Puzzled Panther.

Alex composes music for theater (Singing Windmills (2023), House of Esther (2018), Old New Year (2017), Through the Curves (2017)), television (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Steve Harvey Show, What Not to Wear), and film, including the recent award-winning short Your blue heart. His main vehicle for songwriting is Blue Circus, a band he founded. (www.alexryaboy.com)

Photo by Patrick Francisco

Sherry understood the power of movies, storytelling, and product placement when she began drinking Pepsi after watching Marty McFly down some in Back to the Future. As a Director of marketing and communications, she works with video teams to produce short branded films and mini-documentaries, from script writing to directing voiceover to the editing process. She’s also worked as a producer on two award-winning short films, Don Castro's Your blue heart, a meditation on the in-between state of memory and reality, and Ammar Maa, based on a short story by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

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