"A Place To Hide" NYU Student Short Film

STORY: 
Charlie and his mother, Laura, are on the brink of poverty, living out of a motel room they rent monthly. But, after Laura suffers a stroke leaving her unresponsive, Charlie becomes her full-time caregiver from home. After losing his job for taking off work to be with his mother, his savings start to run out. Receiving no help from his father, who abandoned them several years prior, he resorts to a sugar daddy to make the money he needs.


DIRECTORS STATEMENT:
Like many young people who have lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel like I’ve been stripped of my youth. Coming into adulthood is a weird time full of growing pains, doing it in isolation is even harder. Now, at 21, I feel a weird sense of maturity settling in and the vast openness of life feels a little daunting. “A Place to Hide” explores coming into adulthood and how realizing our parents’ mortality, becomes a suffocating realization of our own. I’ve found myself starting to think about when I will be returning care to my own parents. How selfish it feels to be afraid of being “stuck” taking care of them. We are so used to growing up and expecting our parents to always be there for us, but what about if and when they aren’t. How does growing up start to feel more isolating as we mature? How do we find connection when we feel like there’s no one who understands us, no one who sees us? Sometimes we find ourselves just searching for a place to hide from it all, but life always seems to always find a way to seep in.

WHY WE NEED FUNDING:
Short films are really expensive, there are a lot of costs that go into creating a project. This is a student short film so we are seeking money to feed, house and transport our incredible cast and crew who are helping me create my vision for free. The rest of the funds will go towards production design and equipment so we can cultivate the best quality film. We are going for a visually ambitious idea, it would be impossible to complete without your help. 



TEAM:



Eámonn Wrightstone [Writer/Director/DP]
Eámonn Wrightstone is a 21-year-old director and cinematographer based in NYC. With a start in social justice work and community organizing, he started to transition into filmmaking with the purpose of telling underrepresented stories with a focus on “taboo,” family, and mental health topics. He has been cinematographer on multiple short films, as well as worked in mediums anywhere from reality tv to feature length films. His short films have screened at multiple Sight and Sound Showcases at NYU and one of his latest shorts “Will You Have Any Regrets” is entering into the 2022 festival circuit. Eámonn is currently studying Film and Television Production at NYU with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. You can see more of his work on instagram, https://www.instagram.com/e.wrightstone and his vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user127580709


Kelly Wang [Producer]
Kelly Kunyi Wang is a filmmaker and producer from Beijing, China. Currently studying at NYU’s Tisch Film & Television program, she
plans to continue to build her roots in NYC after graduation.

Una Cambell [Producer]
Una Campbell graduated from the Cinematic Arts department at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and she now attends NYU TISCH School for the Arts with a Double major in Film and Television Production and Religious Studies. She has worked on over 12 of her own films that she wrote/directed and more than 50 student films throughout her high school and college years. Her films have been accepted to festivals all over the world.

Larry Yu [AD]
Larry Yu is a filmmaker, producer and photographer based in the greater NYC area. He specializes in portrait photography and narrative filmmaking. As a freelance artist, he has worked with numerous private clients and companies. He currently studies at NYU Tisch School of the Arts with an intended major in Film & Television and minor in Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology. He is currently pursuing a producing track in his studies, and has worked on several short film sets as a producer, assistant director, and within the camera department.