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THE STORY
LOGLINE
Afraid that people and moments will disappear without being remembered, a quiet young artist tries to preserve them through his drawings, until an unexpected best friend shows him the difference between capturing a moment and actually living it.
SYNOPSIS
Apollo “Polo” is a quiet, observant art student who is a lot more comfortable capturing life on paper than really participating in it. His sketchbooks are filled with unfinished portraits and moments as he tries to capture them before they can disappear.
Then he meets Hyacinthus “Hy.”
Warm, curious, and impossible to ignore, Hy shows Polo how to live beyond his drawings. What starts with a coffee and afternoons in galleries becomes a friendship that changes the way Polo sees the world around him.
As they become inseparable, Polo realizes that remembering a moment isn’t the same as truly living in it. He learns that sometimes, instead of trying to preserve every moment, simply being there with the people who mean the most to us matters more than trying to capture it on paper.
Steal You Tomorrow is a story about friendship, memory, and all the people in our lives and those not yet in them who change the way we see the world.
THE CHARACTERS
APOLLO "POLO"
Played by Nicholas Hughes
Quiet, observant, and more comfortable behind a sketchbook than at the center of attention, Polo is an art student with an instinct for noticing the details other people overlook.
He draws constantly, filling pages with faces, places, and fleeting moments. But finishing something is harder. His work often remains incomplete, caught somewhere between wanting to preserve a moment and being afraid of what finishing it might mean.
Polo may not always know how to tell someone they matter to him, but he notices them. And for Polo, being noticed might be one of the most meaningful things he can give.
HYACINTHUS "HY"
Played by Francisco Medrano
Warm, curious, and naturally spontaneous, Hy has a way of turning something small into an experience.
He is the kind of person who will suggest getting coffee and somehow turn it into hours spent walking across the city. He follows his curiosity, asks questions without overthinking them, and rarely needs a reason to take the longer route.
But beneath that easygoing energy is someone genuinely interested in the people around him.
Where Polo tends to observe first, Hy engages. He asks. He stays. He makes room for things to happen.
THE FRIENDSHIP
Polo and Hy have the kind of friendship that quickly develops its own rhythm.
They tease each other, challenge each other, wander without much of a plan, and find reasons to stretch five minutes into an entire afternoon. There’s an ease between them that allows silence to be just as comfortable as conversation.
Their connection lives in the little things: an inside joke, a shared look, sitting beside each other without needing to fill the space, or knowing when the other person needs a push.
At its core, theirs is a friendship built on attention on knowing someone closely enough to recognize the things they might never say out loud.
Not every important relationship needs a name beyond friendship. Sometimes being known is enough.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
I think a lot of Steal You Tomorrow comes from how much my life has changed over the last few years and this feeling that I don't want to miss any of it.
I lived in London for a year while studying abroad, and somewhere along the way a place that was completely new to me became my everyday life. Then I came back to New York, graduated, and everything shifted again. It made me realize how quickly something you're living every day can become something you only look back on.
Especially living in a city like New York, it feels impossible not to think you're missing something. There's always somewhere else you could be, someone you could be with, or something happening that you're not a part of. At the same time, I'll get on the subway and immediately look at my phone, take pictures of everything, or record a concert instead of just watching it.
I think Steal You Tomorrow came from that contradiction. Wanting to hold onto everything while realizing that sometimes trying so hard not to miss anything can make you miss what's already happening right in front of you.
That's something I'm still figuring out, and this film is my way of exploring it.
Ryve Obien
Writer, Director & Producer
OUR TEAM
RYVE VOCAL OBIEN
@ryveobien
Meet Ryve Obien, the writer, director, and producer of Steal You Tomorrow.
Ryve is a Filipino American New York-based filmmaker and graduate of Hunter College, where he studied Film and Media. His love for filmmaking started long before college, but during his time at Hunter, he continued developing his voice as a writer and director through short films including Still and Melody. He loves stories about people, connection, memory, and the moments we don't always realize are important until later.
When he’s not making films, Ryve can usually be found working on another creative project, taking photos around the city, travelling, going to the theater, or somehow finding another reason to have twenty tabs open on his computer.
KAYLA MORALES
@k4ym0
Meet Kayla Morales, the cinematographer for Steal You Tomorrow, who’s passion and attention to detail is helping bring this story to life.
She is a proud born and raised Mexican American New Yorker from Astoria, Queens where she was immersed in creativity spanning across different cultures from a young age. Initially going into Hunter college as a nursing student, Kayla soon realized that her love for art was too strong of a calling. Before anyone knew it, she had changed her major to Film Production and hasn’t looked back since.
When she’s not behind a camera, you can find Kayla in every hot new restaurant in the city, whether she is dining there or working there, food and hospitality are her second passion.
NICHOLAS HUGHES
@thicc._.nick
For as long as he can remember, Nicholas has yearned to become an actor for the screen and stage. From Fort Collins, Colorado, he journeyed to New York to pursue his dream. Since being in The Big Apple, he has graduated from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and now continues his studies at Stella Adler. He is a classically trained actor in his final year at the Stella Adler Studio and perseveres in learning, experiencing, and molding his body and mind towards becoming the best actor he can possibly be.
If you are out-and-about in New York City, you may find Nicholas either at a nearby movie theater or exploring the beautiful nature of Central Park. A movie-connoisseur and a true tree-hugger.
FRANCISCO MEDRANO
@ffranciscomedrano
Since his adolescence, Francisco was always inspired by films and loved emerging in the creative universes that they presented. He longed to one day be apart of something meaningful that people could relate to and find comfort in. Originally from Long Island, New York, where he started training in 2022 at a local acting studio. He bought a LIRR ticket for 2 years and continued his training at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, where he graduated in May of 2025. He’s now a working actor who continues to pursue his creativity and hones in on his craft.
When he’s not on set, you can find Francisco at your local restaurant shaking your favorite cocktail for you or trying to catch the beat at a hip hop class.
SUPPORT THE FILM
HELP US BRING IT TO LIFE
Steal You Tomorrow is being produced independently, and every contribution directly supports bringing the film from the page to the screen.
Funds raised will help cover production equipment, lighting, cast and crew meals, props, artwork, insurance, production expenses, post-production, festival submissions, and distribution.
Supporting the film means supporting not only our days on set, but the entire life of the project—from production through its eventual journey to audiences.
