Hollyshorts Film Festival – Alliance of Women Directors

By starrymag | August 22, 2023

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

For the Hollyshorts Film Festival, the “Alliance of Women Directors” category brought forth topics that affect us on the regular. Whether it be pregnancy, death, relationships, fear or prejudice, women have tackled these hard topics with grace and endurance as best as possible. And in the realm of film, these women have managed to broach those topics and continue smashing the glass ceiling!

 

Choices 

What would you do if you were a young female that had to make “the choice?” Written and directed by Kameishia Wooten, Choices presents high schooler Jessica (Nandi Nfr Ka) with the ultimate decision: what to do if that pregnancy test is positive? Her friends Aisha (Nay Nay Kirby) and Portia (Maxcianna Saintilus) are there to support her, both having faced the same crossroads in the past. While Jessica waits, Aisha and Portia reflect on the path that they have taken with that plus sign and how it has impacted the relationships around them. But in the end, what matters most is that they still have the opportunity to make that decision.

Wooten pays homage to the end of Roe v. Wade with Choices and reflects on its merit. For women like Jessica, Aisha and Portia, they were allowed to choose their own path rather than have it mapped out for them. As the story mainly focuses on Jessica, the most poignant scene was between Aisha and her father David (Keith Arthur Bolden). As Aisha chose to terminate her pregnancy, the weight of keeping a secret from her father has affected their relationship profoundly. But even though Aisha has carried that burden, Portia still admires her for the courage to do so….especially as Portia has chosen to carry life instead. For Jessica, her friends are the result of each choice, and she is now at a crossroads.

 

Random Check 

En route to Comic Con in California, passenger Sara (Sara Al Roushoud) finds herself part of a random bag check as her and her sister Haya (Sandra Saad) disembark the plane. While it is standard routine, the message that the flight attendant (Paula Rhodes) who requested the check and TSA officer Jason (Reid Miller) make are clear: Sara’s heritage and lifestyle are not well accepted when it comes to crossing onto American soil. But while Jason is so focused on finding any form of evidence against Sara and her sister Haya, the real criminal (Michael Dukakis) has walked off the plane scot-free.

Random Check, written by Sara Al Roushoud and directed by Monique Sorgen, brings focus onto the unequal treatment of individuals from Middle Eastern countries. Even though Sara attempts to remain gracious and accommodating to the people who continue to judge her based on her hijab, their intention is clear: to make her feel unwelcome and try to find any way to inflict their own prejudices upon her. Even when Haya speaks the frustration that many of us feel watching the scene unfold, Sara refuses to provide any ammunition to Jason during his search….and still pays a hefty price. Random Check reminds us all that we should never judge someone based on their looks alone, especially when the real villain can be hidden among us.

 

Clinical 

Waiting to meet with her therapist, Alina (Kahyun Kim) is placed into a precarious situation while another patient Hayley (Sarah Jes Austell) fears she may be pregnant and is in process of taking a test. As Hayley fumbles through taking her first test, Alina finds herself frustrated and impatient to start her therapy session and get away from Hayley’s delusions. Ultimately, the experience brings both girls into confessing their own fears and insecurities to one another…and finding that they both have a lot to work through.

Written and directed by Lauren Ciaravalli, the short film Clinical brings out the social and emotional insecurities of women in a more light-hearted realm. Kim and Austell are able to play off the characters of the mellow and anxiety-ridden Alina and Hayley…and make their conversation believable and authentic. Because even when Hayley seems to be put together and Alina feels angry about watching the world move forward without her, both find that in this world they are just scared about what’s to come.

 

Judy-ism 

On the eve of her wedding Judy (Emily Nash) is all set to marry her fiancé Jack (John Noble Barrack). But one meddlesome mother Nancy (Sheri Effres) and a bite of apple cake later and Judy is transported back to her childhood self (Tessa Michaelis) celebrating her 13th birthday…a momentous time in the life of a Jewish youth. When Judy refuses to have a Bat Mitzvah, her father Tom (Jonathon Fishman) comes to speak with her, and his words of wisdom remind Judy about what matters most when she finally returns to the present.

Judy-ism, written and directed by Emily Nash, presents how important moments in our lives help to shape who we are. With the love and acceptance from her father, Judy finds that same love and acceptance from Jack for being authentic to herself. And in reliving that moment of apple cake at her 13th birthday, Judy also finds a way to honor her now deceased father. Nash’s exploration of the Jewish faith and Judy’s own exploration of that faith gives way to how we now form our own religious traditions…even if they don’t always end with apple cake.

 

There Can Be Light 

In the aftermath of losing her friend Ricardo (Tiago Santos) to suicide, Olivia (Jordan Delgado) grieves and tries to find her own path in healing. But that process isn’t always straightforward, especially when Olivia still sees Ricardo and their final conversation haunting her at every turn. Fortunately, Olivia learns that there are many people who can relate to Ricardo’s story and have been in that dark place before. This prompts Olivia to finally discover a way to bring the light not only back in her life, but to others who need it just as desperately.

Written and directed by Angela Cohen and part of The Glow Media Project, short film There Can Be Light addresses the realities of suicide and depression. It is more than just about those who die, it is the people they leave behind to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. Delgado’s portrayal of Olivia propels such a strong narrative and forces the question: how do we work to prevent this from happening again?  While Olivia could not save her friend when he was still alive, she pushes forward by creating a community of support for the next potential Ricardo…promising that there is still a light in darkness. For more information on The Glow Media Project and mental health awareness, please visit https://www.glowmedia.org/

 

Stitched  

After hearing word that former classmate Kelly Kelley (McKenna Cox) is happily engaged and thriving, Leela (Pratima Mani) begins to feel left behind in her quest to find love…and a peculiar set of stitches on her hand. But rather than continuing the stream of lackluster dates she has been on, she finds herself at a local graveyard to create her own Frankenstein boyfriend, Sai (Vick Krishna). With her ideals of a perfect man, Leela still struggles to compromise and finds that maybe the quest for the perfect man isn’t all that realistic…but finding out who you are before that is.

Written by Pratima Mani, Stitched delves deeper into the importance of knowing ourselves and doing the work to heal before taking that next step. While at first Leela feels she needs the perfect man to be happy, it isn’t until she runs into Kelly Kelley that she understands real happiness does not come from someone else. As Kelly has ended her engagement and jumped into another relationship, Leela finally sees that not everything is as perfect as it seems. And instead of trying to aspire to be perfect, Leela can find solace in being alone and healing from her own scars.

 

How to Catfish Your Ex 

In the midst of a breakup she had initiated, Julie (Julie Balefsky) finds herself missing her ex-boyfriend Connor (Peter Molesworth) and convinces her friend Ava (Kerris Dorsey) to catfish him. While Julie’s neurotic behavior seems to get the better of her during Ava’s date with her ex, the need to know whether Connor has been able to move on is stronger. And when the catfishing manages to go awry, Julie and Connor finally get to have the most honest conversation about their relationship and move forward on better terms.

Directed by Madeline Mack and written by Julie Balefsky, How to Catfish Your Ex has many of us relating to the conversations we wish we could have at the end of a relationship. Who misses who? Have they moved on? Why did it have to end? Julie’s journey from being obsessed with Connor to finally finding her voice in realizing she deserves more was done humorously, angst-riddled and authentically in Julie fashion. While initially Julie overanalyzes every little quirk, placing her in front of Connor finally gives her the strength to say the unspoken text and find peace.