Jessica Husband in The Retained.

Robbie Studsor’s latest short film The Retained has acquired international sales representation with Belgium based Radiator IP Sales and will be having its festival run in 2026.

The plot concerns the youngest daughter in a wealthy family that must choose between loyalty and morality when she is forced to conceal her father’s dark secret.

Founded by Ben Vandendaele, Radiator IP Sales is an established European sales agent with over 10 years history distributing and selling a variety of acclaimed short films that have screened at Cannes, Berlinale, Sundance, Venice, Locarno, SXSW and Clermont-Ferrand. 

“Having a sales agent to position the film internationally is such a benefit for the production, and Ben has a strong history of working with exceptional short films and major festivals. We are really looking forward to collaborating with him on the strategy and approach,” says The Retained producer, Brooke Thomas. 

Jessica Husband and Hannah Jacob on the set of The Retained.

The Retained is director Robbie Studsor’s follow up to his short film Shallow Breath which is currently being developed as a feature film with VicScreen and was long-listed for Academy Award consideration in 2022 after winning the Light in Motion Award for Best International Short Film in 2021 at the Foyle Film Festival and screening in competition at Seattle International Film Festival.

Described as a tense psychological drama that explores the complexities of family, power dynamics and guilt within an idyllic Australian setting, The Retained relies on a simple three-hander cast featuring Jessica Husband with newcomers Hannah Jacob and Annabelle Goh.

“The Retained was one of those rare projects where every creative choice felt intentional,” Husband tells Cinema Australia.

“Robbie has an incredible ability to build tension through restraint, and being part of a film this precise and emotionally complex has been deeply rewarding.”

Annabelle Goh in The Retained

Filmed during an icy Autumn week in May 2025 at a French Chateaux in rural Victoria, cinematographer David Rusanow and production designer Tiana Lioulios have crafted a visual style that’s both eerie and beautiful, transforming a secluded holiday home into an arena for secrets, deception and tragedy. 

“The storytelling is intense and the thought, consideration and scope of the film is unique in short films,” says Goh. “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with the director and team.”

Although all three actresses had challenges specific to their characters and an exhausting short shooting schedule, Hannah Jacob had the extra pressure of not only it being the first short film she has acted in, but also having the lead role, and creating a complex character at a major moral crossroad in a narrative that’s only 12 minutes.

“It’s an intimate film that sits in the spaces between what’s said and what’s hidden,” Jacob tells Cinema Australia.

For Jacob, the trick was to find the right calibration of when to be direct and when to keep things implied, a balance that Studsor felt she achieved with excellent results.

“Watching this character navigate significant decisions in a very disturbing situation over the course of a day and a night is the core of the film and Hannah met the challenge perfectly,” Studsor tells Cinema Australia. 

Hannah Jacob in The Retained.

With an international sales deal in place and an imminent festival run, Studsor and Thomas are hopeful for 2026 being a busy year for the film.

“There’s never guarantees with sales, festivals, or anything so you have to make sure that you are enjoying the whole process or else you will become very frustrated very quickly,” says Studsor.

“Regardless of how tiring, painful and expensive the production might become, it’s always the doing that’s the most rewarding for me.”

Jessica, Annabelle and Hannah agree, “The intensity of the shoot, paired with the care and dedication of everyone involved, made it an incredibly special experience. Knowing it will now reach international audiences feels like the best possible continuation of that care and ambition.”

For more information follow The Retained on Instagram @the_retained_film and Radiator IP Sales @radiatoripsales

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