DIRECTING REEL

parallels

Coming-of-age Drama, 30 min, 2021

Writer, Producer, Director, Actress.

Parallels is a coming-of-age drama about a teenager in suburban Russia who fights for the approval of her working-class parents in pursuit of her dream to become an actress but has to face another battle when she finds out her mom is terminally ill.

It’s a coming-of-age drama about complex mother-daughter relationships and how their life paths end up eerily similar.

There is nothing more personal to me than this film. In 2020, when the world was collapsing (literally,) I thought: “If I only had one chance to make a movie, what story would I tell?” And I kept coming back to my mom and thinking about her life.

My mom (left), grandmother (center,) and my mom’s half-sister.

My mom and her half-sister spent most of their childhood in foster care. Since an early age she was a fighter. And she had to fight even harder when a tragic event left her and her half-sister orphan.

Parallels is meant to honor my late mom, who died from cervical cancer, and to shed light on the life of a teenager with hopes and dreams but now is forced to grow up when tragedy strikes. I also want to show what life was like in Soviet Russia and post-Soviet Russia.

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AWARDS

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TEA

Drama, 5 min, 2023

Writer, Producer, Director, Actress.

Behind The Scenes Video

In her darkest moment, a young woman is unexpectedly invited for a cup of tea that just might save her life

This project was made as a part of a 2-week collaboration challenge in Los Angeles in May 2023. We were given a quote and needed to write, shoot, and edit the film by the deadline. And so we did. It was one of a kind experience that birthed not only the film but new friendships and awarded us with a second place for cinematography and a nomination for best acting for Madonna Magee. Currently, this film is in the festival circuit.