DIRECTING REEL
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
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.
doppelganger
Thriller, 8 min, 2024
Writer, Producer, Director, Actress.
A young woman finds her look-alike in order to fake her own death.
Family Ties
Dramedy, 9 min, 2023
Co-Writer, Co-Director, Producer.
A young man struggles to keep his sanity with his grumpy disabled father, when two burglars barge into his house.
Currently in the festival circuit
Dramedy, 10 min, 2024
Writer, Producer, Director, Actress.
Currently in Post-Production.
A lonely woman encounters a strange man in a diner to discover that they have more in common than she initially thought.