First Love

When famous actress Rebecca Rosetti suffers a nervous breakdown and holes up in a seaside motel in Venice Beach, her estranged twin brother Matthew must make a choice: sell his explosive tell-all book about their childhood or save his troubled sister from herself.

Director's Statement

The film First Love has lived with me since late 2010. I was sleeping in a hotel on the shores of Venice Beach. But wait, even before that I was sleeping in my mother’s womb with my twin sister. So maybe it started there. And then poof, 30 some odd years later it fed into pages of a script that now appear on the screen. The story is personal. I have a twin and our relationship has been like a ferris wheel. Up and down. What we have grown to expect from familial relationships, love relationships in films I wanted to upend with this film. In the spirit of filmmakers who came before me that wanted to find what is under the artifice I reached in and questioned the easy steps that life seems to take in cinema. There are no arcs, things are harder than they seem here in real life. I wanted to reflect that.

The making of this film itself proved to mimic the bumpy life ride. With an ambitious 12 shooting days and 100 pages to shoot we cried, fought, and kicked to the finish line. Our two main characters Matthew and Rebecca in First Love do much of the same. They are down and out, in a way which is much to their own doings. Now reconnected after 15 years apart, they have a chance to save one another and they can’t or don’t have the tools too.

Relationships are hard, the process of forgiving is hard. There are no easy answers to these characters predicaments. No fiery speech that will save the day. Where is the love? The love is in the quiet moments, the alone moments. The little healing that occurs, can only come through this anguish. People seek solaces in oceans, on beaches. The irony of Rebecca and Matthew looking for a way out and being so close to one. Maybe that is what life is all about.

Cast

• Matthew: Aaron Costa Ganis
• Rebecca: Annie Heise
• Richard Crest: Arye Gross
• Kalil: Amin El Gamal

The Woman From Hamburg

Qualified for Best Live Action Short Film 97th Oscars®

The Woman From Hamburg (based on real life events) tells the story of Regina, a young Jewish woman who in 1943 Poland has lost her entire family and is rescued by a young childless couple, Jan and Barbara and given shelter in their closet. Over time, Regina grows close with the couple, and Barbara and she are forced to make sacrifices to stay alive. Many years later, Helusia, fathered by Jan, embarks on a quest and makes a discovery that upends the lives of all involved.

Director's Statement

It was important to make this film at a time when anti-semitism is on the rise. To tell the truth, the hard truth of what it was like to survive the Holocaust and pass that through generations. How the Jewish people move on, but never forget as hard as that is. To share that story today with the world is vitally important and to do it through the eyes of Jewish women makes more sense in today’s world where women's rights are increasingly taken away. It was also important to tell the story using actors that are Jewish. I thought it was important to show who we truly are without hiding. To be proud of the bravery and forthrightness of our mothers and sisters.

Festivals & Awards

• Qualified for Best Live Action Short Film 97th Academy Awards
• Best Short, Santa Barbara Jewish Festival (Winner)
• Visiones Únicas Audience Award at Mirada Corta Film Festival (Winner)
• Lighthouse International Film Festival (Official Selection)
• Cannes Indie Shorts Awards Online Screening(Official Selection)

Events

• Exclusive 1 Week Academy Award Qualifying Run Friday, September 27 – Thursday, October 3 Lumiere Cinemas, at the Music Hall 3
• Film Independent 'Always Remember' Series
  A six-month series of free, virtual screenings designed to raise Holocaust awareness through cinema. November 2024.

Upcoming Screenings

• Santa Clarita International Film Festival
  December 15th 2024 Laemmle Newhall, @10am