In this Dances With Films Press Junket episode of Below the Line, host Judy Nguyen sits down with filmmaker Laurence Cohen, writer and director of Rocket Man a heartfelt short film nearly two decades in the making.

Cohen opens up about his deeply personal creative journey, from the loss that inspired the story to the emotional and technical evolution that spanned 18 years. Rocket Man began as his 2006 film-school thesis, a story about saying goodbye  both through the eyes of a child and the imagination of a storybook hero on a one-way mission to save “Planet Pun Warg.” Now, completed with the benefit of time, perspective, and skill, the film has found its home at Dances With Films.

In this intimate conversation, Cohen and Nguyen explore the intersection of grief, healing, and creativity, the magic of storytelling through music, and the perseverance it takes to finish what you start. It’s a beautiful reflection on filmmaking as both an artistic pursuit and a personal act of closure.