Another round of Oscar nominations were announced this week featuring many old familiar faces and scant diversity. During the ceremony, we’ll hear more jokes and jabs at this inequity followed-up by shallow promises of systemic change within the awards’ circuit and Hollywood’s filmmaking practices. We’ll see little structural reexamination, redistribution of budgets, and rethinking of moral priorities. Big salaries and decision-making power will stay at the top among an elite few who will be charged with telling the stories of those at the bottom without giving them creative, legal, or financial agency. The film industry will still feel like big business exploiting already marginalized voices under the guise of “art” without inconveniencing itself or making structural sacrifices to actualize the potential that true art can achieve: empathy. We can hope our predictions will be wrong and that the future will unfold differently but we can only guarantee social change through action.
Small independent theaters and film distributors like New Plaza Cinema expose us to a world of invisible talent and stories we never knew existed. Their films challenge us, enlighten us, and enable us to identify with and fall in love with people with whom we may otherwise believe we share nothing in common. We made this little video 4 years ago to help amplify @new_plaza_cinema’s work because we believe in their mission and have seen firsthand how they make magic happen. For us, as for them, even the most modest independent feature film budget offers an importunity to spur community dialogue, pass laws, mentor new talent, and create a safe space for cultural exchange. Keep up the great work!
Thanks to the #AdultSurvivorsAct, survivors of sexual assault have a one-year window of opportunity to take our power back and file suit in New York, no matter how long ago the abuse happened. The window is open now until Nov. 23, 2023.
We were proud to participate in this campaign alongside such an inspiring group of survivor advocates and friends. Survivors know that @modelallianceny offers a safe, secure, confidential support line and we’re here to support you.
Visit modelalliance.org/asa to learn more about how to take action.
Organization: @modelallianceny
Producers: @agrenell @eek.media
Editor: @matthewechelman
Director: @madisynritland
DP: @johnszeng
Music: @malsounds
Photographer: @reedyoung
AC: @orlandosown
HMU: @makeupbyalicean
Equipment: @milk
Studio: @blondeandconyc
Special Thanks: @abbeyhendrix
Survivors featured:
@iamcarreotis
@camrynherold
@saraziff
@madisynritland
@ambrabgutierrez
@mamma_sena
@kaibraden
@barrettpall
MA contacts: @saraziff @syddgio
Seven years ago, our friend Tatiana Baccari came to us with a story:
Sarah has accidentally missed a birth control pill. Anxiously waiting to see red, Sarah struggles with paralyzing responsibility and an inclination toward privacy as she faces the possibility of pregnancy. A short film that examines the quiet crises one faces with a female body.
Today, we still rarely see stories like Sarah’s honestly depicted on screen, accurately written about in the news, or discussed with family at the dinner table or with friends at a bar without experiencing feelings of shame and stigma.
Why? We were born into our bodies and live with them everyday. We are owed the basic human rights of unconditional love, support and the autonomy to control our own fate. It is our future and our choice. We hope our film inspires you to remember this, to always ask questions and to speak your truth to the world.
Thank you again to @rsachnoff @tatbarawri @matthewechelman, @jmkennelly @whmayo @bmullberry @maryperrino @douggoldring @madealineonthewall and our whole creative team for all of your hard work on this film.
To find freedom, a dancer must find a way to escape her colorful prison.
Dance - @beatriz_bb_nyc
Music - @ayaazizart / "It's Okay To Love"
Style - @emroth227
Direction - @matthewechelman
Editing - @i.shot.the_sharif
Cinematography - @ryancmooney, @leroy_farrell
Camera Assistant & Gaffer - @samzang, @the_lukekao
Additional Lighting - @whitneybrownephotography
Sound - Miki Benyamini
Hair & Makeup - @mio_okano, @ambreenkhwaja_makeup
Producers - @matthewechelman, @gracekime, @kyrhaleverruff
Art Backdrop - @girwinart
Production Assistants - @m_morris54, @slicslicslic
Special Thanks - @carolinadestroys @womanfromthemoon
