3500+ Films - 2.5 million words – 1 million viewers! Founder and Curator Carmela selects the most entertaining, powerful and inspiring AFI Conservatory Films at We Are Moving Stories. These include short films about Black Lives Matter, women filmmakers, LGBTQ and genre.
Total length of this section: 20 films.
<BLACK LIVES MATTER>
A Rodeo Film - A black bull rider must choose between his family's legacy and the woman he loves. Length: 19 minutes. Writer/Director Darius Dawson:
“Not a lot of people know about black rodeo athletes so I think that this culture sits at an interesting intersection between Western culture and African American culture. The film in a nutshell is about love and family. I feel that so much of what we do day to day revolves around love. I also feel that family is that thing in our life that’s the toughest to figure out. I think that audiences should check out A Rodeo Film is they want to see flawed characters try to figure out love and family and how it all pieces together.”
Black Boys Can't Cry - Javion is a dutiful and loving black father. He is the protector and provider of the family, including his wife, daughter, and grandmother. However, he is haunted by a secret that he continues to bury in silence. Not knowing how to deal with the trauma, he attempts to hide the behemoth inside him that is trying to break out. But not until tonight when he is finally overwhelmed, and he attacks his family while he ultimately comes face-to-face with his painful past. Only the prayerful hands of his grandmother can help channel his buried emotion from taking control. Length: 4:34. Interview with Cinematographer Robert L. Hunter and Writer/Director Victor Gabriel.
<WOMEN FILMMAKERS>
Veil - A Muslim teenager with a conservative upbringing deals with the consequences of switching her dress into a more revealing outfit with the help of her friend at a high school prom. 9:00 minutes. Writer/Director Zahra Golafshani:
“Growing up is hard, and no one wants to feel like an outcast because of things that construct their identity. Growing up muslim in a Western culture, you are bound to have split identities and a lot of questioning about your faith and the choices you have to make. This is to normalize the questioning.”
Lux Noctis - In a post apocalyptical matriarchal community, grieving Lina faces her trial to bring light or perish to the darkness. Mara’s act of compassion pushes Lina to overcome herself and create an unprecedented amount of light. Length: 11.55 minutes. Writer/Director Damiana Acuña:
“Our film made history in the AFI Conservatory as the first film to have been shutdown by a global pandemic. We had shot the beginning and ending scenes of our story before having to send home our cast and crew of over 60 people. Over seven months, I rewrote the story to fit production under difficult COVID guidelines. My brave team of collaborators supported the idea of leaning more towards an arthouse piece and we decided to take away the dialogue, focusing on the essence of the story and world we wanted to put on screen. ”
The Hideaway - After hearing rumor that her mother is a stripper, 14-year old Nika becomes determined to discover the truth, unknowingly crossing the threshold into adulthood. Length: 14.55 minutes. Writer/Director Jane Stephens Rosenthal:
“As an artist, I am so curious about the inbetween moments of our lives, the little things that make them up, the small moments that we don’t necessarily see but changes everything. I am also obsessed with womanhood and what it means to be an adult, and in many ways how to make sense of what it means to be a woman, and I thought the Hideaway was a perfect place to try to dig in to all the pain and contradictions of being female.”
Cat's Eye - A young girl struggles with her appearance growing up in a white space. 3:26 minutes. Cinematographer/Director HALEY MIN YOUNG KREOFSKY:
“I made Cat’s Eye because I wanted to share how I felt growing up, being adopted and growing up in a white space. I used to wish I was white and all I wanted was to fit in. I used to get teased for being different and it took me a long time to realize that was racism. My mom never quite knew what to say or do when issues like this used to arise, this isn’t a criticism of her parenting but how could she understand?”
Children of Change - A troubled teenage environmentalist will heal through the love and guidance of her friends and a primal reconnection with nature. Short film. Writer/Director/Producer Nitzan Levinson:
“My main objective with this film was to make people feel. A lot. And cry… I personally love crying and then smiling. Then, after they’ve released, to make them think and ask questions. I don’t think films, or anything for that matter really, should give concrete and all encompassing answers. I don’t believe that anything is fully right or fully wrong. I do believe though, in working out the muscles of the mind and the soul, guiding audiences to have stronger brains and hearts.”
Saeada - An Egyptian boy grows up outside an apartment building where he watches his father, the Doorman, serve its residents each day. As he gets older, surrounded by his family and religion- he searches for happiness in the small space they reside in on the streets of Cairo. He realizes that his happiness comes through understanding that he belongs to life as a whole and to be selfless is to become the new Doorman and allow his father to enjoy time again. Cinematographer/Director Indeana Underhill:
“Over the past three years, I have spent close to 11 months living in Cairo, Egypt. During my time there, I met a doorman and his family of 4, who lived in the back are of my apartment building. The layout of their house existed outside with no roof. During the day, a living room setup with a TV and at night, a mattress for the children and the doorman to sleep on. It was an interesting perspective on what “home” was. I made this film to tell a story that would otherwise be forgotten.”
Miss Boundless - In the late Qing Dynasty, ZHANG (17) an ambitious girl born into a noble family, desperately wants to become as powerful as her father. After Zhang’s father names her male cousin as the next heir to their influential house, Zhang struggles to prove that she is the better successor. Faced with overwhelming odds due to the female oppression of the time, Zhang discovers that sometimes in order to gain power, one must take it. Length: 15.35 minutes. Director Qiyu Zhou:
“I would define Miss Boundless as a Disney movie that has the nuance of a cult film. The storytelling is as classic as a Disney movie, well-structured and engaging. However, the worldview and the demeanor of the main character is something possibly never seen in an Asian teenage girl on the big screen. You need to see it to judge it.”
<LGBTQ>
U N T I T L E D - A woman falls for another woman who fears emotional intimacy. Length: 3:10. Writer/Director Nicole Eckenroad:
“I hope that it gains exposure as a queer story that isn’t about the queerness––it’s a film about grieving love. I want it to gain exposure, period. We’re all really proud of the film and I want everyone to have their work seen and hopefully it gives us all more opportunities to create.”
ELLE - In the midst of her sexual awakening, 16-year-old introverted Elle struggles to express her feelings towards her best friend who is about to move away. 21:25 minutes. Director Nicole Vanden Broeck:
“I think at its core, it is a universal love story. The film is often categorized as a LGBT coming-of-age drama. But if we put all labels aside, I think it’s simply a place we have all been at some point in our lives. We’ve all lived through the uncertainty of not knowing how the person we care about feels or how our love would be received, and taking the leap anyway. So my hope is for it to validate the courage people have when they’re vulnerable enough to express themselves, whichever way they can.”
The Birth of a Beautiful Butch - A gay high school senior takes the first steps towards outwardly expressing and embracing her inner self. Length 3.01 minutes. Writer/Cinematographer Andi Obarski:
“The Birth of a Beautiful Butch is worth a watch because it says a lot in a short period time. It’s ultimately about the desire to be authentic to one’s self despite the opinions of others, which I believe is a struggle every human being grapples with.”
Juliet - JULIET tells a story of a transgender teenage girl Serena. As a new girl in her new school, she’s quiet and shy, but she still dreams of being Juliet in the school play – like all the other girls. When she decides to audition for the lead role, the competition is high and her peers make it almost impossible, but she finds the courage to stand in the spotlight and accept herself just as she is. 14:54 minutes. Director Irina Storozhenko:
“This movie is a little miracle for me. The biggest theme of the movie is to let your voice shine. Coming from conservative Russia, it was crucial for me to be able to make this movie and stand up for my believes. On the universal level I believe it is very important for everyone to trust their feelings and let their voice to be heard.”
Spaceship - When a Latina transwoman in East LA is on the verge of losing her daughter to child services, she begins to unravel as she is forced to confront her buried traumas and fears. 18:37 minutes. Writer/Director Jorge G. Camarena:
“This film was made with the help of multiple latin trans organizations in LA and with the most utter love, care and responsibility that a film like this requires. A story that deals with invisible people that go through intense and real circumstances that must be seen and heard, and that are deeply rooted within my heart. ”
So Long - is an attempt to discuss the in-between and what one chooses to display in public vs private. It is also ultimately a story about identity, grief, mourning, and rituals. How does one mourn or grieve the loss of someone, when that period is over, or when you’re at a distance? 3:00 minutes. Cinematographer / Director Jo Jo Lam:
“Grief is a universal subject and we all have had losses in some ways. Yet it remains to be a very taboo topic that we never talk about. I believe by confronting it and sharing these experiences will maybe help us feel a little less alone in the process and grieving is probably the loneliest experience I’ve ever personally experienced. I would say if you’d like to feel less alone then watch this film! Also if you’re a fan of films shot on 35mm celluloid!”
Boys of a Certain Age - A boy on the cusp of puberty discovers his new world is filled with danger and excitement as an ominous driver stalks him during a weekend of self-discovery with his best friend. Length: 14.50 minutes. Writer/Director Spencer Wardwell:
“I wanted to make this film because to explore the juxtaposition of my internal and external fears growing up — how they related to each other and what one said about the other; my external fears being the paranoia I experienced based on my perceived (real?) stalker, and the internal confusion and panic I felt as during my adolescence.”
<GENRE>
Born on the 5th of July Ruby, who has lost her mother at birth, works as a rookie cop in LA. One night she pulls her gun to stop a robbery, only to find herself in the same situation, as when she was born. But now the roles are reversed, she has the power to make a decision that can save a life. Short film. Writer/Director Daniel Carsenty:
“I want to explore with this film the one moment in time, when you have the possibility to make a choice, that has the power to save a life.”
Ashes - A brief and unlikely connection in war complicates a young solider’s understanding of freedom. Length: 4.20 minutes. Cinematographer Siwei Li and Director Daniel J. Egbert:
“Siwei: It came out of my inner fear, seeing how nationalism and despotism growing for the past years in my homeland, as well as the divisions we had world-widely. We were taught to hate and fight the people we don’t know, but in essence the same as us.”
Faraway - An Astronaut faces death in space and without any ways of communication he farewells his daughter on earth from the distance. Length: 3 minutes. Cinematographer/Director/Producer Dae Hyun Kim:
“We all have loved ones, we all have people who love us. The sad truth is that there will be a time to farewell them, either expectedly or unexpectedly. And we will have our own ways to say goodbye. It will be all different because we are all different.”
Sausage Film - Condemned to a diet of nothing but salad, a man with critically clogged arteries must decide whether life is worth living without sausage. Length: 3.35 minutes. Producer/Cinematographer Jonas Fischer:
“The film riffs on the universal themes of health and personal life choices but in a fun and quirky way. I feel like those themes are omnipresent in America and all over the world and those questions are always up for discussion. I don’t think there’s a definitive answer to any of them, which makes it all the more interesting.”