Salute Your Shorts 2019 – The Trick
A simple guide to achieving total spiritual transformation.
Interview with Writer Nada Alic and Writer/Director Andrea Nakhla
Watch The Trick here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Our film was loosely based off of the spiritual aesthetic of certain pockets of Los Angeles. While we both consider ourselves seekers in some capacity, definitely philosophical and open-minded, there was a certain kind of spirituality that felt more self-serving, especially among 'enlightened men' which we found particularly absurd and comical.
Often, these were men who subscribed to some form of Eastern religion, who wore wide-brimmed hats adorned with belts or linen drop crotch pants who managed to co-opt some non-denominational spirituality to suit their interests. These are guys you'd see at yoga or breathwork making the loudest noises, or who just got back from their Ayahuaska ceremony, which is why they ghosted you.
Nada wrote a subversive guide based off of that sensibility, what would that look like, or what would they want to hear? In contrast, Andrea's animation feels bright and hopeful, alluding to a sincerity in the character's attempts and enlightenment.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you too, find the co-opting and commercialization of spirituality equally absurd and hilarious!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think everyone, at some point in their life, starts to ask the big questions: Why am I here? What am I doing? What's after this? There are so many ways to approach these questions, none of them necessarily wrong. But when seeking truth becomes another vehicle to gain power and manipulate others, then it becomes terrible. I love the Jenny Holzer quote: abuse of power comes as no surprise. It's a universal flaw: how our egos inevitably destroy everything good.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The animation definitely evolved over time, it was painstakingly created, frame by frame over many months. The script stayed the same besides some minor edits towards the end.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Great feedback! It premiered on It's Nice That and has since been accepted into about six different film festivals.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We were surprised to have any feedback at all since we just made it for ourselves.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We would love for our film to be enjoyed and to be an entry point into exploring more of our work in our respective disciplines. Andrea is a painter and Nada is a fiction writer.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I suppose we would love it if this film could somehow transform the consciousness of the many spiritually-inclined in LA to stop preaching their personal gospels to unsuspecting women at house parties who are just trying to get to the snacks! We don't currently know how to make this happen, but we're open to financial support.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We simply want people to enjoy it and have a laugh. Not to take it, or themselves too seriously.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is the film mocking spirituality or one of spirituality's biggest fans?
Would you like to add anything else?
We're genuinely thrilled to be featured, Andrea worked so hard on most aspects of this film from animation to sound to music. We're hoping that this exposure helps elevate her work and expose both of us to new audiences.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Nada is working on a collection of short fiction and Andrea is working on a new series of paintings. You can find out more at nadaalic.com and andreanakhla.com
Interview: August 2019
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
The Trick
A simple guide to achieving total spiritual transformation.
Length: 3:00
Director: Andrea Nakhla
Writer: Nada Alic
About the writer, director and producer:
A visual artist working in Los Angeles The Trick is ANDREA NAKHLA'S first short film. She recently had her first solo show at New Image Art, and has also shown at Subliminal Projects and 0-0 LA. This project continues her collaboration with writer Nada Alic which previously consisted of three books of short stories and corresponding artwork.
NADA ALIC is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles whose work explores art, design and maintaining a creative practice. Her fiction series, Future You: a collaboration with visual artist Andrea Nakhla, has been featured in It's Nice That, BOOOOOOOM, Cool Hunting, and elsewhere. Previously, Nada spent nearly a decade in artist advocacy; providing education and opportunity to independent artists with brands such as Etsy, Gap Inc. Society6 and more. She is currently working on a collection of short fiction. www.nadaalic.com
Key cast: Nada Alic, Narrator
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors
Instagram: @future__you
Hashtags used: #thetrick #futureyou
Website: thisisfutureyou.com
Other: Vimeo
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Salute Your Shorts / Los Angeles, CA - August 17, 2019 - Assistance League Theater; Barcelona Short Film Festival / Barcelona, Spain - 6th-7th October 2019 - Zumzeig Cinema; Supernova Digital Animation Festival / Denver, CO -September 21, 2019 - Denver Performing Arts Complex & corner of 14th and Champa, downtown Denver.