We are moving stories

“I felt we needed to celebrate this moment in time. We have a vaccine, we are so much closer to better days! I wanted a vibrant visually stunning Summer Jam that brings a smile to people’s faces. A video filled with happiness, humor, sexy vibes and that celebrates protecting ourselves and our communities.”

“I believe it will make you smile, laugh, but also relate to the rollercoaster ride we all had the past two years. You should watch it because it’s not what you expect, and that’s always fun!”

“My father wrote the piece on March 28, 2020, and we were “filming” on the morning of April 4, 2020. It seemed like something that was ready to go and that needed to be done right away, while we were in the moment and sharing the stressed feelings of being on lockdown during a pandemic, 2001 miles apart.”

“I began the process of creating and writing xxVISIBLE last year in the early stages of the pandemic and lockdown - before Mr. Ratanapakdee was murdered, before there was #StopAsianHate, and before the Atlanta massacres. My aim was to capture a time capsule of last year during the pandemic, specifically representing an Asian American voice - one in which has barely been represented in the media and news, other than a quick news blurb.”

“Right now the world feels so grim and sad. We are all hurting and I just wanted to make something fun and colorful. I think it’s important to create things that are full of life, so we get that burst of energy and remember who we are and that it’s going to be ok. During this time for me, it’s about reflecting on things and working on new things. For Crystal, she decides to start a blog with the cheesiest name ever - so look out for that little treat. This was really fun to make and it brought out the kid in me. ”

“I wanted to be the voice of women who are victims of violence and who cannot have a normal presence in society.”

“Back in the spring of 2020, we found ourselves halting preproduction on a feature project we’d been developing while we sheltered in place. Naïve and hopeful that everything would be back to “normal” within a couple of months, we decided to shoot a quick-and-dirty little “meet-cute” sketch on our rooftop, using Abby’s phone as a camera, as a temporary creative outlet. Little did we know what the rest of the year had in store for us! As spring rolled into summer, the pandemic raged and BLM took to the streets. The little sketch took on a life of its own, and what we had envisioned as a one-weekend shoot ballooned into a long-term project.”

“MUSTAFA: The inspiration came from a photo from an article that Scott Aharoni had shared with me on the 61st day of the Covid-19 lockdown. The picture was that of a gravedigger who held his axe and stared at an endless amount of freshly dug empty graves. I felt his despair and it made me question many things in my life.”

“It is the pandemic lock-down life that inspired me. When the whole world changes, even the most common life of the past becomes the best time ever. Humans only cherish something when they lose it… I just wanted to make something about this idea.”

“Well, this was my big concern as we started this project, as I felt the ‘need to be touched’ angle maybe felt a little too simple. But as we got into rehearsal and actually shooting it, it became very clear to me that this simple theme carries a lot of baggage for many people. And of course, as mentioned, when the pandemic struck everything we had discussed, imagined and fantasized felt much more real and universal as we saw people becoming isolated everywhere around us. So it became quite important to us to tell this story and tell it now, as it felt much more relevant than ever.”

“Art, in any form, often becomes the voice of a time. We’re in a monolithic viral pandemic. But we’re also in an addiction pandemic. I’m hoping that by making this film we’ll be contributing to more awareness around the magnitude of this progressive, incurable & fatal disease.”

“I chose to set this film against the backdrop of a pandemic because it is a time in our lives everyone can relate to. Although there was clearly a major threat during the pandemic, sometimes fear can cause people to behave irrationally and do crazy things. I’ve heard several stories of abuse and the harming of children in their own homes during the 2020 lockdown. Fear and love can be the ultimate destroyer.”

“Our film explores how people react when a mysterious disease may or may not be outside their doors and the paranoia that ensues. In a lot of ways, the effects of coronavirus feel very similar especially when happening in an election year. In our film, we watch the tenement building as they make DIY biohazard suits and masks... The residents in our film question every bit of their day-to-day life based on whether or not it might get them sick and I see people all around me having the same daily fears. The film asks how are we equipped to handle such a crisis, who can we rely on to lead us and keep us safe, and ultimately what matters most to our survival?”

“KATHLEEN: Though it seems almost eerily prescient right now because of COVID-19 and social distancing, Brett and I felt called during the fall of 2018 to make a film about isolation, specifically the type of isolation that has become so prevalent amongst women. Social pressures, expectations, gender norms - all these things serve to isolate women from their purpose, their identity, their happiness and their freedom to explore. We “should” do so many things in life if we listened to our parents, spouses or peers but 101 Years asks: what happens when we resist the urge to let life happen to us, and spend our days living something innately individual and intentional?”

“I think we can all see ourselves in Arlo. Yes the film is set in 2060, but what she experiences is very real for a lot of people. It almost sounds silly, but loneliness is a current epidemic experienced by millions. So I think an audience can watch and feel a sort of comfort in Arlo’s story, knowing they are not alone in their feelings of isolation- that we all want some kind of connection to others.”

“I have an eccentric friend who lives in New York City who has been obsessed with squirrels and politics, but never in the same breath...until this happened. She told me how she had trained squirrels to come in through her window, walk through her apartment and go out her garden door. She fed squirrels in the park, watched YouTube videos of squirrels and eventually joined the biggest Squirrel Page on Facebook. During the pandemic, everything intensified while we were indoors on our social media. One day a civil war broke out and it was led by my friend! I knew I had to tell the story.”

“In my early 20s, I was going through a break-up and living alone in a studio apartment in San Francisco. In my sadness there were a few days I didn’t leave my apartment at all (not good, I know), and since I didn’t have a dog, I found myself talking to Siri (A LOT) about my ex. I found she was a very good listener and I was surprised by how comforting this was in my hour of need. Little did I know that our little friendship would soon become a universal pattern for many in the last few years of the pandemic. With quarantine and the boom in home virtual assistants, many of us spent many hours locked in our homes with our Siris, Google Homes, Alexas and whoever else. ”

“In cities, we are used to seeing large crowds of people going about their business, it’s something else entirely seeing the streets in a state of desertion.”

“I am Jennifer Sharp, the filmmaker for Anecdotals and I had an adverse reaction to the Pfizer vaccine. While seeking medical help, I found myself immersed in support groups with many others who were also suffering. I was surprised to discover that we were censored from telling our stories, not just by social media, but also by family and friends. An ugly political divide transformed the topic of adverse reactions into a hateful battleground, and those of us who needed help and empathy were stuck in the middle.”

“I made this film whilst locked down in Melbourne, at the height of Covid-19. Being stuck in my own house forced me to look directly around me for inspiration. I think I’m just really lucky to be surrounded by interesting people. I made this specific portrait documentary because I, over the course of said lockdown, had gotten to know Walter more intimately and I wanted others to experience the entertainment that comes from merely being in the same room as him. His story moves me and as a character, I can’t help the urge to point a camera in his direction.”

“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic my team and I thought that it was important to capture the stories of people in our community and provide a space for people to share their experiences and hear the experiences of others. Our big goal was to provide a tapestry of lived experiences that could lead to a more human-centered and broad understanding of health, healthcare and well-being.”

“I think it’s tragic that there are incredible species on this planet that will go extinct before most people know they exist. I use beautiful, emotional storytelling to bring awareness and advocate for the conservation of these animals.”