Ian’s feature debut The Way We Speak is 93% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com saying “The Way We Speak has already been compared to the work of Aaron Sorkin. The comparison fits…Ebright is ruthless in the best way.” Among the film’s awards, Ian won Best First-Time Director at the 2025 Poppy Jasper International Film Festival and Outstanding Writer of a Narrative Feature at the 2024 Anchorage International Film Festival—top-ranked festivals by MovieMaker Magazine. The Way We Speak stars Actor Awards nominee Patrick Fabian—best known for playing Howard Hamlin in the hit series Better Call Saul.
The 2026 Outstanding Screenplays Feature Competition named Dame Boreal a quarterfinalist—the latest placement for Ian’s multigenre original story following the 2026 BlueCat Screenplay Competition and 2025 Anchorage International Film Festival. Outstanding…
The Way We Speak was the winningest film at the 2026 Liverpool Film Festival (LIVIFF) in the UK, where it took home the prize for:Film…
Host Callum Hyde of The Glacé Film Club welcomed Ian and The Way We Speak cast members Patrick Fabian, Diana Coconubo, Kailey Rhodes, and Ayanna…
Ian’s eco-horror thriller Dame Boreal placed as a quarterfinalist in the 2026 BlueCat Screenplay Competition—founded by Sundance award-winning filmmaker Gordy Hoffman. Dame Boreal was one of…
The Way We Speak is an official selection of the 2026 Liverpool Film Festival (LIVIFF)—a FilmFreeway gold event showcasing "the most bold and inventive stories the independent film…
Ian’s feature screenplay Dame Boreal is a finalist at the 2025 Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF). The eco-horror thriller is one of a handful of…