We’re onto day 2, and with it, the first full day of films. With five incredible blocks of films to view, it’s going to be a great day to get the festival going in full. With Adult Animation, Family Drama, LQBTQIA+, Shot on Film and Horror, it’s gonna be a great day to check out some brilliant short films. We’ll be highlighting a film from each block of today’s screenings, as well as getting a deeper look into the film and those behind it as we talk to I Could Just Die, and That Would Be All Right writer/director A.K. Espada . Be sure to check that out after our highlights. And for those in Los Angeles, there are still tickets available for other days of the festival. And for those who can’t, the films should be available for those with BitPix the following day, if not sooner.
ADULT ANIMATION
Volecest – Eric Briche’s gorgeous French animated film is entirely silent with the exceptions of music, sound effects and animal noises as it follows Fuseline, a small ermine who in order to survive the winter has to venture towards an isolates farmhouse in search of food. This upsets the balance at the farm, and upsets the man living there, who attempts to get rid of Fuseline. This film is beautiful, with a stunning grayscale that really fuels that drained color that the world has during the winter months. The animation is so well done, and more importantly, Fuseline must be protected at all costs, because she’s the best. A small warning for a few moments of animal harm that caused some mild discomfort, but mostly just enjoy a beautiful story of nature, survival and a damn cute ermine.
FAMILY DRAMA
The Professional Parent – Erik Jasan’s film about a Slovakian woman taking on the role of raising a young Roma girl is one that is powerful and unique. In this small Slovakian village, the Roma are stigmatized for their heritage, making them susceptible to a kind of lower-tier foster system that is designed to give them homes when they are taken from their parents , or parents are taken from them, for various reasons. Here, Ingrid becomes the representative of Samantha, a Roma girl who was taken from her parents because of the home they could afford and put into this system, despite her protests. This film is a ride, and the culture of both Solvakians and Roma are shown in this unique way. Ela Lehotská stars in the film, and does an incredible job showing the nuance and complications of living in this part of society.
LGBTQIA+
Hello Stranger – Amelie Hardy’s documentary story about Cooper and the story of her gender reassignment surgery journey. After growing up and realizing she was a woman, Cooper did everything she could get to herself to look like the person she wanted to be. Hardy follows her as she describes this journey, with home movie footage of her childhood, and some reenactments to help build the story. The main thrust of the film is Cooper’s acceptance of her traditionally male voice, the one thing that you can’t change (aside from full reassignment) when transitional through hormonal treatments. It’s an incredible story, and both Cooper and Hardy should be proud of what they’ve been able to show here, and Cooper should be proud of the person she’s become that she was always meant to be.
SHOT ON FILM
Any Sign At All – Jeanine Mason and Katy Sullivan star in this Faryl Amadeus film that sees Jessie (Mason) struggling with life as she simultaneously runs out of gas in an unfamiliar place, has her phone die, and is also pretty low on cash as she attempts to navigate this new crisis. Adding onto that, she’s pregnant and feeling pretty down about what she’s been able to provide, looking for any signal from the world that things will go her way anytime soon. She gets a version of that when, after walking to the gas station, Jessie is met with Ray, a woman with her own problems, and who unknowingly helps Jessie out of her jam by leaving her wallet at an ATM. This is a film that shows a lot of things, the struggles of motherhood and impending motherhood, the struggles of life itself, and how even through that, acts of kindness can be seen as Ray, not knowing that Jessie stole from her, attempts to show her support anyways. This is a complex film morally, and that kind of gray area makes it very interesting.
HORROR
I Could Just Die, and That Would Be All Right – A.K. Espada’s unique gothic horror seems to give a glimpse into at the journey of self-love and of digging yourself out of the hole of suicidal ideation through the lens of cryptid horror. Courtney Locke stars as a woman who, after fully succumbing to her thoughts of ending her life, goes on a run at night, giving herself to an unknown horror that lurks in the woods near her home. Despite her attempt to commit suicide by monster, she wakes up the next day as one of them, an undead creature that survives on blood. Despite that, she feels kind of amazing, reborn into this new version of herself. And with the support of her husband (Chris Mayers), she turns a corner into knowing that while not everything is perfect (such as having to drink blood to live), she feels more on board with existing instead of the other way around. This is such a cool concept, blending a dark theme with hope and support in a way I’ve never really seen before. Wonderfully done.
A big thanks and congratulations to all the filmmakers who were selected. Now, here’s an interview that I conducted with A.K. Espada!
What inspired you to start making films?
I was around twelve when I decided I wanted to write and direct. I grew up in South Georgia long before the film industry blossomed in Atlanta, so I’m not sure what gave me the confidence that I could make it happen. I was just a shy, weird art kid who felt most fulfilled expressing myself through writing, art, and music, and I saw film as a medium that combined all of those things. I got my hands on a family VHS camera and started making little shorts and frame-for-frame remakes of my favorite media, like the Salad Fingers series. 22 years later, I’m still the same weird art kid, just with more experience and influences.
What were the challenges in making this project?
Everything about this project was a challenge! Being so open about how it’s a personal, vulnerable story during the crowdfunding campaign and even now during the festival run have been the most difficult parts for me personally, but there were so many logistical challenges.
Luckily there were only two characters on screen and we were able to use our producer’s parents’ house as our main location, but we also challenged ourselves to make this a SAG project, pay our crew, and otherwise run the production more professionally than previous narrative projects we’d made separately.
We also began production at the tail end of a later COVID variant, and the day before the shoot—after my set dec friends had driven down from NYC and we’d wallpapered and dressed the house and flown in our DP’s preferred camera crew—we found out we’d all been exposed. We had to shut down for five months while we waited for our cast to become available again. We used the extra time to continue pre-production and try to take every scene to the next level.
Still, the many night exteriors and complex lighting and camera setups we wanted to achieve required meticulous planning and coordination. I was rewriting a couple scenes around road blocks that came up till days before we shot.
The fact that we managed to pull the production back together half a year after our shutdown felt like a miracle, but it was really the sheer determination of everyone on board that made it happen.
Is there any type of message or emotion that you hope the viewer takes away from watching this film?
There were a lot of emotions and messages I wanted to convey, but all that matters now is how it actually lands with viewers. The most meaningful moments I’ve had are when strangers tell me they feel seen by the Runner’s struggle with suicidal ideation, and that some specific detail of her portrayal made them feel less alone under the often all-consuming weight of depression. Just as often, people have said they relate to the Husband’s desperation to be a caretaker, as well as his cluelessness about what he can actually do. I make films to connect to myself and others, so if I can lessen someone’s burden by showing them something that makes them feel understood, it’s worth the pain.
How does it feel to be able to screen the film at HollyShorts?
When planning my festival run, HollyShorts was one one of the ones I wanted most. I usually stick to genre fests, but I hoped I Could Just Die would strike a chord with people who don’t usually enjoy horror. It’s my first time screening at a prestigious LA festival, and I’m a movie theater lover, so I’m thrilled to screen at Grauman’s. I’m looking forward to meeting a ton of talented artists and watching so many gorgeous films that it makes my head spin.
What’s on the horizon for you?
I have a feature script in early development based on my short film This Is Our Home (streaming on Short of the Week) that I’m about to start pitching to financiers as an independent project with my manager Anastasiya Kukhtareva (Wildflower Management) and Producer Thomas Mahoney. I have another feature script that I hope to match a Producer to soon. Whichever I find funding for first will start pre-production after I wrap my current job as a Scenic Artist on a TV show here in Atlanta. From there, I’ll go wherever my film career takes me! My priority in life since I was twelve has been my first love: filmmaking. The film industry can be fickle and exhausting, but it’s introduced me to creatively challenging work, the best friends I could ask for, and tons of opportunities to express myself in new and varied ways. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
That’ll wrap up things for today! Thanks again to A.K. for taking the time to speak with us today! We’ll be back tomorrow for Day 3!
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