The next morning he bought a ticket to a local screening of a short film whose trailer had appeared in that grainy montage. He messaged the editor, thanked them for the work, and offered to buy them a coffee. They met at a quiet cafe. She told him about festivals, about the months spent in edit bays, about how a single screening fee sometimes covered groceries for a week. She didn't demonize the underground collective—she understood the impulse—but she spoke plainly about respect and survival.