Biography

Vancouver-based writer/director Merlin Dervisevic's film "Cruel & Unusual" was released theatrically in Canada and Asia and was programmed by Netflix in the US, HBO in Europe and Amazon Prime globally. The film screened at several prestigious festivals, garnering the Best Film in Madrid, Best Film, Best Screenplay and Audience Favourite in Málaga. Dervisevic cut his teeth on his award-winning shorts, "The Window", "Lemonade" and "Over Easy" before attending the Canadian Film Centre where he wrote and directed "Exhuming Tyler". He has simultaneously developed a career in set decoration including an Emmy Nomination for his work on "The Andromeda Strain".
- IMDb mini biography by: Merlin Dervisevic

I'm not a fan of horror films per se. I am, if they have elements of reality in them. A good example is '28 Days Later'. I thought that was a great film. It felt real to me. Everything about it seemed authentic. That's where I come from in my storytelling. I want to believe the characters, that this situation is actually happening.