How this 20-year-old went from building worlds in Minecraft to making Hollywood movies

Kane Parsons began building worlds at the age of 10. He’d piece together entire realms on sandbox games like Minecraft and LittleBigPlanet, deepening his fascination with mapping out new spaces. A decade later, he’s still building worlds – but now he’s doing it for Hollywood. Parson’s debut feature Backrooms lands in cinemas.

The horror film follows an architect-turned-furniture store owner who discovers a hidden portal and becomes trapped in a mysterious, maze-like space. His concerned therapist eventually embarks on a mission to find him, entering the otherworldly realm herself. Now aged 20, Parsons has already secured the backing of buzzy indie studio A24, as well as legendary horror producer James Wan and Longlegs director Osgood Perkins. As if that weren’t already enough star power, he also landed two Academy Award nominees – Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) – to feature as his leads.

Considering it was only 10 years ago that Parsons was tinkering away on Minecraft in his California childhood home, this accomplishment is beyond massive. How did he, at just 20 years old, end up rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s most elite?