Todd J. Stein’s The Final Fight nears completion with post-production team in place

The guardianship-focused short film The Final Fight is moving through post-production in New York as writer-director Todd J. Stein assembles a high-profile team behind the project. The film is set to begin festival submissions as early as August, with Stein hoping the short will help launch the feature screenplay inspired by his family’s story.

Why it matters: - The Final Fight is designed to spotlight guardianship abuse through a personal father-and-son story. - The short film is also a proof of concept for Stein’s feature screenplay, so its completion could determine whether the larger project reaches the market. - Stein wants the film to reach major festivals and attract industry attention for the feature.

What happened: - Post-production on The Final Fight is continuing in New York City. - Writer-director Todd J. Stein has brought in several high-profile post-production artists to finish the short film. - Danger Pixel’s Scott Winston is leading visual effects. - Peter Waggoner is handling the final mix. - Mario Gutierrez is overseeing sound design. - Cameron Adams is composing the score. - Company 3 will complete the film’s final color grading.

The details: - The Final Fight is a guardianship-focused dramatic short film and Stein’s directorial debut. - The film is adapted from Stein’s award-winning screenplay of the same name. - The story is inspired by Stein’s effort to free his father from an unprecedented guardianship. - Stein said the film is intended to resonate beyond his family’s experience because aging and vulnerability affect many families. - Stein described the project as a father-and-son story centered on protection, trust, and family bonds. - Co-producer Marlene Schneider said she saw the project’s potential early because it was already resonating within the creative community. - Schneider joined after Stein asked her to co-produce. - Stein and Schneider first worked together during his campaign for Manhattan Upper East Side Democratic District Leader, where Schneider was campaign manager. - Schneider spent more than two decades as a vice president at the National Council on Aging before entering film production. - Veteran voice actor Tom Hair plays Martin Cohen. - Hair joined after auditioning and meeting with Stein and Schneider through casting director Adrienne Stern. - Adrienne Stern reviewed dozens of submissions before casting Hair. - Josh Davis plays Scott Cohen. - Davis first became involved during a staged reading of the feature screenplay months before short-film production began. - Stein said Davis won the role over dozens of actors and quickly captured the character’s emotional core. - Adriana DeMeo portrays Gina. - Stein’s family story first drew national attention in a New York Times feature by John Leland titled “The Fight of This Old Boxer's Life Was With His Own Family.” - Reporter Jack Ahern later revisited the story in Our Town in an article titled “The Final Fight” to Turn Real-Life East Side Guardianship Saga Into Potent Drama. - The production includes an inline reference to the team’s social channels: More information, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and Stein Entertainment Group.

Between the lines: - The post-production lineup suggests Stein is positioning the short as a polished calling card, not just a personal project. - Company 3’s involvement signals an effort to compete at a higher festival and industry level. - The casting comments emphasize authenticity, which matters because the film is rooted in a real family dispute. - The project appears built to translate a private legal and family story into a broader public conversation about elder vulnerability.

What’s next: - Stein plans to begin festival submissions as early as August. - The goal is a premiere at a major festival. - Stein also wants the completed short to help introduce the feature screenplay to the industry. - Post-production is entering its final stages as the team works toward release.

The bottom line: - The Final Fight is nearing the finish line with an experienced post-production team, a festival strategy, and a larger feature-film ambition behind it.