Focus on AFI Conservatory - Saeada
An Egyptian boy grows up outside an apartment building where he watches his father, the Doorman, serve its residents each day. As he gets older, surrounded by his family and religion- he searches for happiness in the small space they reside in on the streets of Cairo. He realizes that his happiness comes through understanding that he belongs to life as a whole and to be selfless is to become the new Doorman and allow his father to enjoy time again.
Interview with Cinematographer/Director Indeana Underhill
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Over the past three years, I have spent close to 11 months living in Cairo, Egypt. During my time there, I met a doorman and his family of 4, who lived in the back are of my apartment building. The layout of their house existed outside with no roof. During the day, a living room setup with a TV and at night, a mattress for the children and the doorman to sleep on. It was an interesting perspective on what "home" was. I made this film to tell a story that would otherwise be forgotten.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The relationship between the boy and his father signifies the familial but general idea of finding happiness in the mundane and within what life has provided for you. It is not an underdog story. Simply, the boy is allowed to grow in freedom, to be allowed his childhood and when he becomes a man, he allows his father to enjoy freedom again by taking over the job as the Doorman.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The themes of family, and responsibilities, and we define what home is, are the heart of Saeada. What do we owe to each other? How do we divvy up our time while alive? We also include the call to prayer in the film's sound design. During my time there, as someone who isn't religious, the call to prayer signified the beauty of a city reminded to all reflect, pray and be one. These are the questions and ideas that we chose to explore.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script and film began much more literal to what I experienced while building my relationship to the doorman and his family in Egypt. Over time, as I worked with my writer, Doug Macissac, we pulled out too much of the detail and brought back the questions and ideas to present to an audience.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have received positive feedback thus far at festivals. It has been well-received with Middle Eastern and African audiences. It's an exciting thing- to reach an audience thousands of miles away and share the experience with them.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We made the film to challenge our audience's point of view. Knowing it was a more conceptual film with a small story, we know it would have a limited audience in North America and that rang true during the festival run.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that having our short film, Saeada, more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com allows us to open up our audience to the North American viewer.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I'd like Saeada to be explored within other media outlets, amassing a larger audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
It's a film about finding the commonalities between the Eastern and Western worlds. It's the cycle of life- what home is, how do we spend our time, what do we owe to those around us or our community? It should be seen as a reflective piece that an audience member should ask of themselves.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What do we owe to each other?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We have a few features in development while experimenting with the creative in the music video sphere.
Interview: July 2021
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
Saeada
Length:
3:15
Director
Stas Bondarenko is an experienced multidisciplinary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He continues to explore his interests that lie at the cross-section of art and technology by lending his visual effects expertise in the role of a VFX supervisor, working as a cinematographer and camera operator on numerous films and television series, and directing his first narrative films. Stas is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild, and an associate member of the Society of Camera Operators.
Indeana is a Canadian cinematographer based in Los Angeles. She is an Associate Member of the CSC, a member of the ASC MITC Lens Committee and a graduate of American Film Institute's Cinematography Conservatory Class of 2020.
She has traveled to over 30 countries, working professionally in South Korea, Greece, Spain, Scotland, Argentina, Qatar, Egypt, Canada & the US. Her travels have inspired her passion to tell the stories of those rarely ever seen on-screen.
Producer
Growing up in the Rocky Mountains, writer/producer Alexander Rudolph was drawn to the contrast between mother nature’s beauty and the individuals who push themselves within her most extreme environments. His early work reflects that world – working on film and tv projects for Redbull Media House, ESPN, and Powder Magazine. He has since shifted toward a path telling broader stories about life and passion — adventure; extracting those innate feelings and sharing them with the world.
Key cast:
Adam Abdou (Mostafa), Seif El-Askary (Young Mostafa), Imerio Palumbo (Marwan), Jena Fakroddin (Passant)
Looking for:
journalists, distributors
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/indeana
Instagram:
instagram.com/imunderhill
Hashtags used:
#saeada
More info:
Made in association with:
AFI Conservatory