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Logline

Ava fights to maintain her own family, career and health while safeguarding her younger brother, Darryl, during his prolonged manic episode.

Synopsis

Ava and Darryl are African American siblings who grew up in Los Angeles. After Darryl’s psychotic break in his twenties, Ava finds herself constantly fighting to protect him. Ava, a wife, mother of two and nurse, is steadfast in her love for her brother. Darryl, a once brilliant poet, searches to ground himself as his mania threatens to consume him. Longing to connect, he finds himself detached from reality and his best friend, Ava.

Keep My Brother unfolds over the course of 48 hours. Ava sits in her car on her lunch breaks, out of sight, observing Darryl as he paces the median of a busy intersection in LA. Through Ava’s fixation on Darryl’s safety, we see the way his mental illness infiltrates every aspect of her life.

Today as she watches Darryl, a call comes through from the hospital. She realizes she’s late for work and speeds off, Darryl slowly disappearing in her rear view.

That evening she returns home to her husband Dior and two children. Ava and Dior erupt into an argument after he reveals that her medical colleague called him worried about her. Ava tries to lie, but Dior knows she’s been searching for Darryl while he’s manic. He pleads with her to stop surveilling him. Knowing she triggers her brother, she agrees. But the next day she’s parked again, eyes on Darryl.

Today Ava stiffens in her seat as a police car pulls up to the intersection. Her mind flashes back to the violence the last time Darryl was manic. Her eyes dart between Darryl at the median and the police on the other side. She gets out of her car and sprints towards the intersection. As the cops walk towards the light, she screams out to Darryl not to fight them and then…
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Sharona D’Ornellas – Writer/Director
Sharona D’Ornellas is a writer, comedian, director, actor and dancer originally from Toronto, Canada now residing in Los Angeles, California. She is a mixed race woman of Caribbean descent and a first generation Canadian turned immigrant to America. As a writer, Sharona believes that storytelling illuminates the humanity within all of us. Her creative work focuses on people of color at pivotal times in their lives, and how they navigate the obstacles of this world. In her career as a performer Sharona has worked on Broadway stages performing in Lin Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award winning musical In The Heights and in the Original Broadway Company of Ghost The Musical, based on her favorite 90’s tear jerker. In addition she has worked in front the camera on TV & Film for the past twenty years, deepening her appreciation for the power of art. In comedy Sharona has worked with comedy greats including David Letterman, Affion Crockett, Jimmy Fallon, Mike Myers, and James Corden. With her focus now on writing and directing, Sharona is currently in development for her film Keep My Brother which places a very personal lens on the ripple effects of mental illness on the siblings of those suffering.

Catrina Del Re – Producer
Catrina Del Re gained widespread acclaim for her role as Ms. Orange in a gender-reversed play of Reservoir Dogs, and has worked with some of the most dynamic and innovative talents in the industry, from Kim Gehrig and Jeffery Reiner to Issa Rae, May Musk, and Geeta Malik.

Along the way, Cat has also made a name for herself as a talented writer and producer, with award-winning short films to her name including Mother Trucker (3 Category Winner Indie Short Fest) , Plucked (Lift Off Audience Networks Winner) and the horror film Trolled (Sin City Fest Winner, Cinequest Selection). Cat has teamed up with a like-minded creative and launched We’re There Films, where she’s hard at work on features and TV pilots that she’s passionate about bringing to life.

Nicholas Bupp – Director of Photography
Originally hailing from Pennsylvania, Nicholas Bupp, is a cinematographer currently based in Los Angeles. Since graduating with his MFA from the prestigious American Film Institute in 2015, he has been working as a cinematographer on numerous award winning projects from long form narrative to short form commercials and music videos. Nicholas has worked with top artists including Bad Bunny, Travis Scott, Alicia Keys and The Weeknd. His cinematography can be seen in branding for major brands including Audi, the NBA, Hyundai, Mercedes and Body Armor. His film Champ directed by Hannah Peterson premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was named a 2022 Nominee for the Grand Jury Prize Award. Nicholas has also won awards for best cinematography at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival and Pasadena International Film Festival. Nicholas strives to bring a unique vision and style onto each project he works on. Most importantly, his inspiration comes through crafting visuals that serve to push a story forward both in emotion and tone.

Ben Williams – Composer
Ben Williams received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Music in Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School. He has performed/recorded with such giants as Pat Metheny, George Benson, Stefon Harris, David Sanborn, Lauryn Hill, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Glasper, Maxwell, and Nicholas Payton. In 2013 and 2015 Williams received the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Award for Bass. He recorded and released State of Art in 2011 with his band, Sound Effect. The Album reached #1 on the charts of iTunes and the National BillBoard. He was named the 2011 iTunes Breakthrough Artist of the Year in the category of jazz. As a leader, Williams revealed his talents as a keen composer and bandleader on his first two Concord Records albums – State of Art (2011) and Coming of Age (2015). He also won a Grammy for his work with Pat Metheny’s Unity ensemble. Williams’ newest album, I AM A MAN, was released by Rainbow Blonde. Williams imbued his love for modern R&B and hip-hop and his socio-political awareness subtly on State of Art and Coming of Age.

Leigh Jonte – Casting Director
Leigh Jonte is a Casting Associate that has been a part of the casting team of multiple well known projects such as the HBO hit series Insecure, the CW series Black Lightning, the Fox and then later Hulu series The Mindy Project, and the Emmy winning series American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson (which also won an Emmy for BEST ORIGINAL CASTING!). Feature film credits include the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, SOLO: A Star Wars Story, The Accountant, The Meddler, A Journal for Jordan directed by Denzel Washington, and Candy Cane Lane, starring Eddie Murphy. Leigh is currently working on the drama series Bel-Air for Peacock.

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Contact

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