Get to Know Addison Heimann: Director of Touch Me at Sundance 2025

There is a specific kind of grit that defines the creative hustle in Chicago. It is a “scrappy” energy, the kind where you are eating pizza rolls out of a bowl like popcorn at 5 a.m. Although watching reruns of Gilmore Girls, trying to figure out how to turn a mental breakdown into a blueprint for a career. This is exactly where Addison Heimann’s journey began. Before the glitz of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and the high-stakes environment of the Midnight section, Heimann was an actor in the Windy City for four years, navigating the frustration of not quite succeeding in the way he had hoped. It was in that intersection of depression and desperation that the spark for filmmaking was actually ignited.

The Alchemy of Horror and Mental Health

For many, the idea of an “alien sex horror comedy” sounds like a fever dream, but for Heimann, his latest feature, Touch Me, is a calculated exercise in using the ridiculous to explore the real. The film follows two best friends who encounter an alien and become addicted to its touch. On the surface, it is a stylish, edgy treat filled with goo and tentacles, but underneath, it is a visceral exploration of addiction and the cyclical nature of mental illness. Heimann is open about the fact that his work is deeply rooted in his own struggles with OCD and depression. He posits a haunting question: what would happen if something could completely remove your anxiety and depression, but came with a heavy drawback?

This thematic approach mirrors a broader shift in independent filmmaking trends, where genre elements—horror, sci-fi and the surreal—are used as metaphors for internal trauma. Heimann’s previous work, Hypochondriac, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2022, already set the stage for this. That film carried the message that while mental illness may never fully disappear, the work of managing it makes life more bearable. With Touch Me, he doubles down on this, using the “Midnight” slot at Sundance to showcase a story that balances belly laughs with themes of childhood trauma, sexual trauma, and the devastation of a “friendship breakup.”

The Technical Craft: From Chicago Scrappiness to Practical Effects

One of the most striking aspects of Touch Me is its visual identity. Heimann’s love for Japanese cinema of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s is evident in the film’s use of lavish theatrical sets and vibrant technicolor. But the real star of the production process was the commitment to practical effects. Collaborating with Sierra and Josh Russell from Russell FX, the production leaned into the messy, tactile nature of horror. We are talking about exploding heads, ripped-open skulls, and actors being lifted into the air by tentacles. In an era of sterile CGI, this commitment to “blood and goo” provides a grounding, physical reality to the film’s more absurd premises.

The production also highlighted the importance of community—a trait Heimann credits to his early days in Chicago. He recalls the “Pavlov’s bell” that became a staple on his set; a simple front-desk bell that the DP, Dustin, would ring to signal that the crew was ready to lock in. This kind of collaborative, egoless environment is what Heimann believes makes a set successful. He views filmmaking as a collective effort where the best idea wins, regardless of who it came from, a philosophy that likely helped him navigate the challenges of indie production, including the stress of losing a lead actor just one month before filming began.

Representation and the Power of the Specific

Heimann is a vocal advocate for the importance of queer representation in the genre space. He believes that in the specificity of a story comes its universality. By centering queer experiences and women’s stories, he aims to foster empathy and normalize experiences that might otherwise remain unknown to a general audience. This commitment to queer cinema milestones is not just about visibility; it is about creating a space where people suffering from mental illness can see their struggles reflected without sugarcoating. As he puts it, living with mental illness just sucks, and the only way to make it bearable is through humor, conversation, and community.

His trajectory from creating the web series Kappa Force—a project about sorority crime fighters battling “evil frat boy scum”—to premiering at the Sundance Film Festival is a testament to the power of persistence. After being rejected by Sundance countless times since 2016, the premiere of his second feature in Park City represents a full-circle moment. It validates the “scrappy” approach: the willingness to Google how to write a pilot, crowdfund a project, and push through the periods of sleep paralysis and depression to create something that makes others feel less alone.

Navigating Creative and Mental Health Hurdles in Chicago

Given my background as an Executive Geo-Journalist, I have seen how the pressure of the creative arts can exacerbate the extremely mental health struggles that fuel the art. If you are a creator in the Chicago area grappling with the same “scrappy” hustle as Heimann, or if you are dealing with the cyclical nature of OCD and depression while trying to build a career, the right support system is non-negotiable. The transition from a “mental breakdown” to a “creative breakthrough” requires a professional bridge.

If these themes resonate with your current situation in the Chicago region, here are the three types of local professionals you should prioritize finding:

Specialized OCD and Mood Disorder Practitioners

Appear for clinicians who specifically utilize Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Since mental illness can be cyclical, you need a provider who understands the long-term management of OCD and depression rather than just short-term crisis intervention. Ensure they have experience working with high-stress creative professionals.

Independent Production Strategists

For those trying to move from a web series or a short to a feature, seek out consultants who have a proven track record with crowdfunding and “guerrilla-style” budgeting. The ideal strategist should have connections within the local Chicago film community and an understanding of how to maximize low-budget resources without sacrificing the visual quality of the film.

Queer-Affirming Creative Mentors

Representation is vital, but mentorship is how that representation becomes sustainable. Look for mentors who are established in the LGBTQ+ creative community and have experience navigating the festival circuit (such as Sundance or SXSW). They can provide the necessary guidance on casting, distribution, and the emotional toll of putting deeply personal trauma on screen.

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