Over five weeks, filmmakers from across the world converged for the Global Media Makers (GMM) LA Residency a cultural diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Held annually in June, our newest Fellows were given the opportunity to meet with leading U.S. industry professionals and develop their latest film and television projects. During this time, they visited some of the city’s most renowned professional hubs while still having the time to visit some of its most iconic landmarks.
One of the most popular programs of the LA Residency is the iPhone Collaborative Workshop. In its eighth iteration, five Fellows from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America were selected to create a one-minute short film about Los Angeles using an iPhone. Each Fellow was paired with a local Film Independent Fellow, who acted as their creative producer. With the guidance of a local peer, the international Fellows explored and shared their impression of Los Angeles.
Working with a tight timeline, the international Fellows also collaborated with an LA-based editor, post-production producer, and sound mixer. They were given access to Konsonant’s music library, after attending a masterclass with Emmy-nominated music supervisor and composer, Andrew Gross. They also did the color-grading on their films with Picture Shop’s Senior Colorists, Frederik Bokkenheuser and George Manno.
Learn more about this talented group from India, Mexico, Pakistan, Uganda and Ukraine and watch what they were able to create this summer.
THE BREATHER
Directed by: Anastasiya Gruba (Ukraine) Instagram
Logline: Looking for a peaceful place in LA.
When creating her proposal for the film, Anastasiya wrote, “The underlying theme of my film is the search for peace. I want to create a sense of discomfort from the sounds of the city during the day and portray the found peace through the empty shots of nature at night.” To accomplish this, Anastasiya avoided the bustling streets, including her temporary neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, and headed to the hills.
Currently living in Kyiv, Anastasiya began her career as a screenwriter. She wanted to use this experience in Los Angeles to experiment as a director because she is currently developing her first feature film.
FULL CIRCLE
Directed by: Heddwyn Kyambadde (Uganda) Instagram
Logline: A transitional juxtaposition of a foreigner’s experience in Los Angeles decades apart.
Heddwyn had been to Los Angeles before as a student. But with his return this past June, he recognized a change in both the town and himself. “It felt like a different America. It was a different world to me. Then, I was in a different place. I felt very closed off. But this time, I felt I was a different version of myself… the colors, the textures, the approach, everything felt a lot more visible. I noticed things a lot more.”
Heddwyn said that his idea for the short was vague at first, a narrative about an immigrant in LA. However his producer, Donovan Tolledo, encouraged him to make himself the protagonist. Donovan showed him around Echo Park and Silver Lake. “Donovan came along with me and helped frame my shots,” he explained. “He’s a lot more technical. It was eye-opening all the way down to the edit. I was planning my schedule and my locations as a producer, but I didn’t realize that I had to also plan my shots.”
BEVERLY BILLS
Directed by: Iván Löwenberg (Mexico) Instagram
Logline: Beverly wants to be at the top of the hill, but she still needs to pay the bills…
The phrase “Fake it ‘Til You Make It” stuck with Iván wherever he went. “There was already a lingering idea. I remember seeing these billboards of lawyers, real estate agents, and plastic surgeons. I’ve struggled in my past visits to read people correctly. There is this underlying sense of ‘Okay. I’m trying to sell myself.’ I thought there’s a lot of pressure to be the absolute best at everything here,” he said.
To depict this impression, Iván decided to make a narrative fiction film, not often done during this exercise. He cast his long time friend and actress, Keyla Wood as Beverly Bills, the struggling realtor. Iván found filming on Rodeo Drive stressful, but was amused to place his character there. There were others similar to Beverly, selling something that they were not. He said, “There were a lot of people watching us. As soon as we took the shot, a real life Beverly Bill just stepped out and started filming her own Tik Tok video. She was next to us mirroring what our character was doing.”
MISSING MY TAMARIND TREE
Directed by: Debalina Majumder (India) Instagram
Logline: A lyrical love letter to her tamarind tree, through the new trees she meets everyday in LA.
Before Debalina even landed at LAX, she was eager to capture Pride month. However, as time passed, she had come to miss her home and her tamarind tree. “It was planted by a female freedom fighter and is almost 80 years old,” she explained. Back home, Debalina often worked with the tree just outside her window. The absence of her routine, inspired her to change the topic of her film into an expedition to find a tamarind tree in Los Angeles.
While she didn’t come across one, she did discover the local greenery, such as the California palm, which is very similar to a banyan tree, as well as jacaranda trees and sunflowers. Accompanying Debalina on this journey was her producer, Ashley Chrisman. Their friendship continued beyond the project, and they have kept in touch on socials.
When she returned back home to Kolkata, Debalina woke up one morning to the sounds of trees falling. Several of the trees in her neighborhood were being cut down. She intends to challenge the destruction of her tamarind with the assistance of her local community and the new friends and colleagues she met in Los Angeles.
WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE WANT TO DO
Directed by: Eshah Shakeel (Pakistan) Instagram
Logline: Finding freedom and liberation to be whoever you want on the streets of LA.
Whenever Eshah visits a new city, she explores it by walking. “Whenever I travel, I love to explore the streets. I love that kind of freedom,” she said. “I feel that you can really understand a place by just walking rather than driving.” So, she walked everywhere. One can imagine the challenge of exploring LA on foot while making a film. She recruited her producer, Nicholas “Nico” Blanco Bonilla to help her capture the feeling of freedom she loves so much.
While Eshah was eager to edit the film herself, the workshop also partners the international Fellows with an editor. Esha learned a lot from the experience, saying, “It was really great working with someone else because as directors we have this one vision, but bringing someone else on board shows how they can put their spin on it.”
While we greatly miss Anastasiya, Heddwyn, Iván, Debalina and Eshah, as well as all of our 2024 LA Residency Fellows, we have the memories of their time in LA embedded with these films. You can find other short films made by our Global Media Makers throughout the years on YouTube.
Thank you to all of our partners who have contributed to the iPhone Collaborative Workshop including Apple, Picture Shop, and Konsonant Music.
Global Media Makers (GMM) is an in-depth, intensive artist development exchange program that produces residencies for international mid-career writers, directors, and producers in film and television. GMM fosters networks between U.S. industry leaders and mid-career film and TV professionals around the world. GMM is a cultural diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and implemented by Film Independent.
For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a global community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.
Keep up with Film Independent…