Strings is a 2011 American dramatic thriller film about a musician who discovers his therapist manipulates patients into committing crimes. The film was written, produced, and directed by Mark Dennis

Mark Dennis

Mark Earl Dennis is a retired footballer born in Streatham, London, who played at left-back for Birmingham City, Southampton, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace. He was capped three times for England under-21s. He is Director of Football at Winchester City.Dennis was sent off 12 times in his...

 and was produced and directed by Ben Foster on a budget of $65,000. Dennis and Foster graduated from the University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

 with degrees in Radio/TV/Film and are both musicians. Strings is of note for its extremely low budget, high production value, complex narrative, music-related plot devices, and its unknown cast and crew who have garnered major awards at film festivals across the United States.

One reviewer compared the film to the work of Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...

 and described it as "stirring, exciting, and poignant." The film collected the Best Director Award at the Long Island International Film Expo as well as Audience Awards at the Breckenridge Festival of Film and White Sands International Film Festival and the award for Best Thriller at the Route 66 International Film Festival.

American film festival screenings

• Austin Film Festival
  Austin Film Festival
  The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
  
   – October 2011
• Breckenridge Festival of Film – June 2011
• Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest
  Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest
  GOTHAM SCREEN is the newest addition to New York City's film festival scene.After its debut in 2007 as a screenplay contest, Gotham Screen, or GSIFF International Film Festival, has been expanded to showcase shorts and feature films...
  
   - October 2011
• Hollywood Film Festival
  Hollywood Film Festival
  The Hollywood Film Festival is an annual Film festival which is located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Festival was established in 1997 by Carlos de Abreu and his wife, model Janice Pennington....
  
   – October 2011
• Long Island International Film Expo – July 2011
• Route 66 International Film Festival – September 2011
• San Francisco Best Actors Film Festival – May 2011
• Silver City Film Festival – November 2011
• Tulsa International Film Festival – September 2011
• White Sands International Film Festival – August 2011

Awards

• Best Director (Mark Dennis and Ben Foster) at the Tulsa International Film Festival
• Best Director (Mark Dennis and Ben Foster) at the Long Island International Film Expo
• Audience Award at White Sands International Film Festival
• Audience Award at the Breckenridge Festival of Film
• Best Cinematography (Mike Simpson) at the Long Island International Film Expo
• Best Supporting Actor (Jack Lee) at the Long Island International Film Expo
• Best Song (The Greatest Escape, Billy Harvey) at the Breckenridge Festival of Film
• Best Ensemble Cast, San Francisco Best Actors Film Festival
• Best Thriller, Route 66 International Film Festival