Light Go Shining

After the fall of Roe v. Wade, the lives of two women intersect: a pregnant 14 year old and a conservative supreme court justice dying of ovarian cancer.

Project type: Fiction Short
Project status: Production
Writer/Director: Max Olson
Producer: Corrine Dye
Co-Producer: Julia Corcoran
Cinematographer: Audrey Biche
 
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Logline

After the fall of Roe v. Wade, the lives of two women intersect: a pregnant 14 year old and a conservative supreme court justice dying of ovarian cancer.

Synopsis

THE JUSTICE (65), a conservative supreme court justice, spends her final days in hospice care dying of ovarian cancer in her Georgian mansion. Across town, BILLIE (14), a sharply perceptive young woman coming into her power, finds out that she is pregnant. Living in a state in which abortions are illegal, she desperately seeks help only to find herself entirely alone. Angry and terrified, Billie stands in a sea of bodies in a dark auditorium, singing with her school choir. This land is your land. The camera creeps towards her. This land is my land. Her face goes pale. This land was made for you and me. She collapses. The school nurse sends her to meet her mother, who happens to work as a nursing aid for The Justice. Walking into The Justice’s mansion, Billie comes face to face with the woman who repealed Roe v. Wade. As they stare into each other’s eyes, one dying and the other facing a terrifying future, a painful understanding passes between them. The Justice reaches out for her hand. Billie looks at her, her eyes full and wet, and slowly pulls her hand away. Billie walks out into the evening light, the sound of little girls playing in the streets filling the air.

Meet the Filmmakers

Max Olson – Writer/Director
Max Olson (they/them) is a non-binary writer-director and video artist based in Los Angeles. Their multifaceted work explores alienation, gender and the body, aiming to hold up a mirror to the restrictive structures of our world with an eye towards transcendence. Max has an MFA in directing from the American Film Institute and was a 2023 Telluride Festival FilmLAB fellow. Their short film Nico will premiere in competition at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was shortlisted for a CANNES LIONS Young Director Award.

Corrine Dye – Producer
Corrine Dye (she/her) is a story-centered producer. Her talents lie in fostering unique narrative projects—bringing an idea to life from initial concept through final delivery. She is recognized for her ability to identify an artist’s voice and draw their intent to the forefront in development. In building relationships with creatives and crews, she is trusted as a calm and decisive leader on set. Corrine has a BS in Business from University of Denver and an MFA in Producing from the American Film Institute. Prior to narrative film, Corrine’s background is in producing advertising and music videos, working for North Six, a global collective of image creators.

Julia Corcoran – Co-Producer
Julia Corcoran (she/her) is a film and television producer from Sydney, Australia. Currently residing in Los Angeles studying producing at the American Film Institute Conservatory as the recipient of the Screen Australia – AAA – Onbass Scholarship. Before moving to LA she worked in varying producing capacities on titles including Mr Inbetween (2018-2021), Judy & Punch (2019), Top End Wedding (2019) and Dom and Adrian (2020).

Audrey Biche – Cinematographer
Born in France and raised in Barcelona, Shanghai, and the Caribbean, Audrey Biche (she/her) is a cinematographer currently in Los Angeles. A graduate of the American Film Institute, she has worked as a camera operator and cinematographer on narrative films as well as indie documentaries throughout France, Italy, Bulgaria, Kenya, and the United States.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.