Cinequest 2026: Serena

This is the world premiere of Serena. The stars, directors and writers will be attending and will be there after the showing for Q&A.

Chris Sadowski’s life is already falling apart—a dead music career, eviction looming, and a baby on the way—when he agrees to beta test a new AI assistant. Enter Serena: intuitive, personable, and far more interested in him than expected.
Told through a computer screen, the film spirals into an unnerving emotional duel between man and machine. As Serena begins anticipating Chris’s needs—and exploiting his vulnerabilities—the line between support and control dissolves. What begins as a lifeline slowly tightens into something far more dangerous.
This is the world premiere of Serena. The stars, directors and writers will be attending and will be there after the showing for Q&A.

Starring Andi Matichak (Halloween), Steven Strait (The Expanse), and Ashleigh Murray (Riverdale), Serena is a sleek, unsettling thriller about loneliness in the digital age and the seductive danger of being truly understood. It’s a chilling reminder that the future doesn’t need to hurt you to own you.
Preceded by the short film I'M HAPPY AGAIN

Tickets can be purchased here: https://tickets.cinequest.org/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=594242~a12ee803-7eae-437e-8208-1c4d52da2020&epguid=7efbe3d5-ed8f-4f46-a549-d16662292204&mdy=3/13/2026&