Blackstar Film Festival / HollyShorts 2018 - Cross My Heart
An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves.
Interview with Writer/Director Sontenish Myers
Watch on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I made this film because I was filled to the brim with secrets, and I wanted to make this film for those who carry burdening secrets of their own.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
As a filmmaker I'm intentional about capturing the inner lives of black women and women of color. To make more mirrors for us. This film explores the culture of silence amongst women and the lengths we take to protect one another, and wonders who it's actually protecting.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I'm really interested in the ways women of color exist and survive, both ordinarily and triumphantly. My work is often an effort to unpack that. Themes such as friendship, loyalty, power, family, and girlhood are thematic vehicles in this film.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The cast, crew, and support system for Cross My Heart was everything. I have so much love for my NYU crew as well as the local crew in Kingston. This film was written, directed, produced, shot and edited by women of color. My talented DP Zamarin Wahdat was the perfect collaborator in developing the visual language for the short. We were inspired by films such as Pariah, Girlhood, American Honey, the works of Lynne Ramsay, etc. Our research and preparation also showed us how much the coming-of-age genre is in need of more brown stories.
Our producer, Elizabeth Charles, is a fantastic Caribbean producer. It meant so much to collaborate with someone who was in tune with this story culturally and so committed to making it happen and supporting WoC filmmakers. Moreover, she gave me the gift of time as a director. To dive into scene analysis, to unpack what's happening in the scenes, characters' wants/needs etc., to be the strongest director I can be on set. Prep is everything.
What type of feedback have you received so far? 6. Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I haven't felt particularly challenged by the feedback, but it's meaningful in how validating it was. I was feeling very alone while making this film. I was in a tornado of emotions, because of the personal risks I was taking when making this film. No one knew what this film was about until it was in the can and on screen. Often audience members approach me after screenings, often to share their stories: versions of my film that have occurred in their own lives. It happens so often that you'd think I'd be used to it. But every interaction is so unique and cathartic. I'm grateful for that opportunity to connect with human beings in that way.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Films are made to be shared. I'm so glad that We Are Moving Stories exists in an effort to increase engagement between people, industry members, and artists. That's all I could hope for with Cross My Heart.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Journalists and Distributors!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I just want this film to add to the collective of portrayals that we see of black women. I want there to be more room for us to be subtle. Quiet. Wrestling with something, in more organic visual styles.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
This film asks the question: What do you do when someone you love hurts someone you love?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm currently developing a feature film, Stampede, a period, sci-fi film. Zamarin Wahdat is currently a Project Involve Fellow at Film Independent.
Interview: August 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Cross My Heart
An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves.
Length: 13:34
Director: Sontenish Myers
Writer: Sontenish Myers
About the writer, director and producer:
SONTENISH MYERS is an award winning Caribbean-American writer-director based in Harlem, NY and a thesis student at NYU's Grad Film program. Sontenish has written and directed 4 short films to date. In her work, racial identity, womanhood, power dynamics, and the heroic journey are often explored. She is particularly interested in doing so across genres, from dramas, science fiction/fantasy, to dark comedies.
Key cast: Jordan-Amanda Hall, Jhada Ann Walker, John Chambers, Earle Brown, Dorothy Cunningham
Looking for: Distributors, Film Festival Directors, Journalists
Twitter: @sontenish
Instagram: @sontenish
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month: BlackStar Film Festival, Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival, Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, LA Film Festival