When a director describes himself as a brat, it can sound like a gimmick. In the case of Pete Ohs, the label signals an intentional refusal to follow every industry script. His new film, Erupcja, features a summertime visit to Warsaw by a couple on the brink of a proposal and includes a cameo by pop artist Charli XCX. The film was developed collaboratively with actors Lena Góra, Will Madden and Jeremy O. Harris, and Ohs has openly invited the public to rework the promotional footage—an act that deliberately cedes control to the audience and to other creators.
That willingness to share is not a marketing stunt but an outgrowth of a creative ethos that prizes speed, play and communal invention. Ohs’s practice favors small ensembles, intimate locations and an improvisational method he often describes as an approach to discovery. Instead of building rigid production hierarchies, he stages a room where performers and collaborators contribute to shape the story. The result is a film that both belongs to its makers and becomes porous to outside interpretation, especially after Ohs released the raw trailer clips for anyone to download and remix.
The backstory: from music videos to indie auteur
Ohs’s path to features began in the looser, faster world of music videos; early work for acts like Wavves and Best Coast helped him learn how to move quickly and solve problems on the fly. He later entered more conventional indie channels—a screenplay workshop, festival submissions, small budgets—but discovered those milestones didn’t guarantee creative vitality. That frustration prompted a pivot: instead of chasing perceived legitimacy, he decided to make films with the curiosity and joy of a teenager making videos with friends. Films such as Jethica, Love and Work and The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick show the throughline: small crews, compact budgets, and an emphasis on experimentation over polish.
Live edits and transparent processes
One early experiment that shaped his later choices was live-streaming an edit of a previous project so people could watch the shape of the film come together in real time. That experience convinced him that demystifying craft can inspire others and create new energy around a project. For Erupcja, Ohs went further: rather than protecting trailer elements, he released the footage publicly, inviting edits across platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The resulting remixes have been immediate and varied, offering Ohs rapid feedback and reinforcing his belief that contemporary film culture thrives when audiences can actively participate rather than passively consume.
Erupcja in Warsaw: production choices and logistical quirks
Choosing Warsaw as the primary setting was more than an aesthetic decision; it created particular production realities. Because SAG rates apply differently when an American production shoots abroad and there are no local low-budget SAG agreements, Ohs navigated an edge case that raised minimum expenses compared with his earliest microbudgets. On prior films he had sometimes operated near the $10,000 mark; for Erupcja he had to adapt to higher baseline costs. Even so, he retained a run-and-gun filming style, favoring quick setups, nimble crews and an improvisational shooting rhythm that mirrors modern short-form video practices.
Keeping the muscles working
Ohs likens filmmaking to a set of physical skills that atrophy without regular practice. He references industry figures who sharpened their craft by staying active—directing episodic television or commercials—arguing that repetition builds confidence and decisiveness. Armed with the same camera he bought in 2012, he tries to preserve momentum: quick blocking choices, on-the-spot problem solving and prioritizing motion over perfection. This practical philosophy helps him make workable decisions fast, sustain creative flow, and keep collaborators engaged and excited.
Philosophy, outreach and what comes next
At the heart of Ohs’s approach is a deliberate embrace of noncontrol: letting surprises enter the work, accepting the possibility of failure, and inviting others into the creative process. He talks about filmmaking as a dynamic conversation—an attempt to stay open to unexpected gifts and opportunities rather than insisting on total command. Releasing material for public remix functions as both an artistic statement and a pedagogical gesture; it models how to democratize parts of the filmmaking process for creators who might otherwise never see behind the curtain.
For audiences interested in seeing the finished piece, Erupcja is playing in theaters courtesy of 1-2 Special. Beyond distribution, the film’s experiment—combining a small-cast dramatic story in an identifiable place, collaborative development, and public remixability—offers a compact blueprint for makers who want to sustain a creative practice that is fast, generous and a little bit bratty.