Scott Mescudi, Brandon Perea, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Keyla Monterroso Mejia are among the stars of the horror short films produced for Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and TIFF’s “No Drama” Initiative.

The program — supported by Monkeypaw, TIFF and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group — launched last fall with five filmmakers selected to create proof of concept or short films that explore horror across cultures, time, environments and society. “No Drama” asked the artists to reflect on this question: “What’s your biggest fear? What monsters lurk in the deepest corners of your inner thoughts?”

The inaugural class of filmmakers, Chandler Crump, Charlie Dennis, Helena Hawkes, Jared Leaf and Ariel Zengotita, each received a $50,000 grant from TIFF to produce their projects during the one-year, non-exclusive program. All five films, written and directed by each participant, will premiere next month at TIFF (out of competition), and the filmmakers will also participate in industry market screenings organized by the festival.

Crump’s short film “Morty” centers on a teenage girl who, “after giving her little brother a stuffed animal that comes with an online counterpart, notices some sinister changes in his behavior.” The film stars Dominique Gayle (“Edge of Everything,” “First Love”) and Tiberius Byrd (“Abbott Elementary,” “Snowfall,” “The Vince Staples Show”).

Dennis’ film “The Pigs Underneath” follows as the “impoverished residents of a tight-knit dystopian community are forced to meet a brutal quota to survive.” The logline explains: “A young man and his mother are thwarted by theft, betrayal and the horrifying secrets of their desperate neighbors.” The cast includes Josh Tedeku (“Supacell,” “Boarders”), Vinette Robinson (“Boiling Point,” “Six Four”), Rochenda Sandall (“Small Axe,” “The Rig,” “Hijack”), Connor Wulfric, Craig Binning and Beth Fitzgerald.

Hawkes’ film “Thick Skin” is about a young woman who, “desperate to lose weight, grapples with the ravenous demons eating her up inside.” Keyla Monterroso Mejia (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Studio”), Courtney Eaton (“Yellowjackets,” ”Mad Max: Fury Road”), Arianna Ortiz (“Nine Days,” “Rattlesnake”) and Monica Garcia (“Shell,” “9-1-1: Lone Star”) lead the cast.

Leaf’s film “Spilled Milk” asks, “What really happened to all those deadbeat dads who went to the store to get milk?” The logline explains: “A father’s innocent errand leads him to an encounter with an enigmatic figure called ‘The Milk Man,’ where things quickly go sour. The short’s cast includes J. Alphonse Nicholson (“P-Valley,” “They Cloned Tyrone”), Jerry O’Connell (“Jerry Maguire,” “Scream 2”), Brandon Perea (“Twisters,” “Nope”), Rodney Van Johnson (“The Jamie Foxx Show”) and Scott Mescudi (“X,” “Trap,” “Entergalactic”). Mescudi also composed the score for the short.

The logline for Zengotita’s “Imago” is as follows: “As Ana’s mom transforms into an insect, their codependent relationship becomes unbearable.” The cast includes Didi Romero (“@Gina Yei”), Ada Luz Pla (“On My Block”), Denise Blasor (“Huella,” “Coco”) and Josh Plasse (“iCarly,” “Grey’s Anatomy’).

Each “No Drama” short film is executive produced by Peele, alongside the Monkeypaw team, including president Win Rosenfeld, senior VP of culture & impact Keisha Senter and executive VP of development & production Dana Gills.

Kesila Childers also executive produces, having served as the primary production consultant for the filmmakers throughout the initiative. Casting director Kharmel Cochrane (“Nosferatu,” “Saltburn,” “A Quiet Place: Day One”) cast the shorts.

Two composers from the Universal Composers Initiative (UCI) — a joint venture between the Universal Film Music division and Universal Talent Development & Inclusion (UTD&I), which supports emerging composers — also scored the shorts. Shirley Song scored “Thick Skin,” while Joy Ngiaw scored “The Pigs Underneath.”

TIFF’s Cameron Bailey, Universal’s Peter Cramer, Helena Hawkes, Jared Leaf, Janine Jones-Clark, Monkeypaw’s Jordan Peele, Charlie Dennis, Ariel Zengotita and Chandler Crump at the “No Drama” Initiative’s launch.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Universal Pictures