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Logline

Two survivors of a synagogue shooting form an unexpected bond that becomes instrumental in navigating their individual paths through grief.

Synopsis

Ethan arrives at the synagogue Friday night to meet his mother and her friends. Within minutes of his arrival, a violent hate crime is committed that leaves several members of the congregation dead, including Ethan’s mother.

A few months pass, and Ethan has quit his job. He is now volunteering at the synagogue’s charity that houses refugees, run by a woman named Rebecca. There, he attempts to find purpose through a friendship with a fellow survivor, twelve-year-old Oksana, his distant cousin whom his mother brought to the US from Ukraine.

Rather than deal with his guilt and regret for not saving his mother, Ethan buries his trauma in his new relationship. Oksana, having already survived a war before immigrating, is wiser and sees the signs of trouble. The story comes to a climax when Rebecca informs Ethan that Oksana has been placed with a foster family and that he’ll ultimately have to face his trauma alone.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

David M. Stern – Writer
David Stern is an LA based writer & performer. He began his career training with improv legend Del Close and performing at ImprovOlympic and Second City. David regularly consults on large-scale commercial campaigns and branded content for companies like Apple, Samsung, Rolex, Mercedes, Cadillac, Absolut, Target, amongst many others.

Anthony B. Caldwell – Actor/Producer
Actor/Producer Anthony B. Caldwell is a former All-American swimmer, who started his acting career while on a modeling contract in Singapore. There he was cast in the leading roles of over half a dozen films produced through NYU Tisch Asia’s MFA program.

Upon returning to the US, Anthony started his producing career, working with Navajo Joe Films YouTube channel where the videos he produced with director Harrison J. Bahe garnered millions of views.

Among his work, Anthony has appeared in American Horror Story Season 7 and recently starred in the award-winning short film, Convergence for director/producer, Zechariah Thormodsgaard. In addition, he has experience in Production Finance, being credited on such films as The Little Mermaid, Hocus Pocus 2, Chip n’ Dale’s: Rescue Rangers, and Avatar 2.

Zechariah Thormodsgaard – Producer
Producer Zechariah Thormodsgaard, P.G.A. is a Director, Producer, and VFX Supervisor. He is the Founder and Creative Director of Gaardhouse, a motion design studio specializing in animation and VFX for advertising film and television. Their clients include Netflix, Amazon Studios, Universal Pictures, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Roku, Dell, and Target.

Last year, Zechariah released two feature films as a producer. The first titled, The Fence and the Fox, starring Jeremy Davies, Frank Whaley, and Tom Cavanagh and the second, The Infernal Machine for Paramount+ starring Guy Pearce. He also directed his debut award-winning short film, Convergence, starring Eric Roberts, Alix Angelis, and Anthony B. Caldwell.

Previously, Zechariah produced an award-winning documentary called This Wild Land featuring Walter Mondale. In addition, he edited and was the VFX Supervisor for the SyFy original movie, Hover, starring Cleopatra Coleman.

Yoni Rusnak – Producer
Yoni Rusnak is a film Editor with over a decade of experience. His credits include How To Get Away With Murder for ABC, King of Staten Island for Universal, and Lisey’s Story for Apple TV+. He currently works for Marvel with credits on two yet-to-be-release series.

Before his film career, Yoni was a lone soldier in the IDF, serving in the 890th Battalion of the Paratroopers during the Second Lebanon War.

Noah Finn – Producer
Noah Finn is a film producer, graduate of USC’s Annenberg and School of Cinematic Arts, and a Los Angeles native. His credits include the Student Academy Award Nominated short film Under Darkness, producing Kyle Prue’s miniseries Rabbit, and producing a reality TV pilot for foreign distribution. He also works with the humanitarian non-profit Kaiizen, dedicated to bettering the lives of underprivileged communities worldwide.

Asia Bonetto – Producer
A liaison of vision and passion, Asia Bonetto is an Independent Film Producer who has been accentuating the screen viewing experience since 2017. To date, Asia features an extensive reputation for delivering powerful storylines that convey deeper meaning beyond the scripts themselves – as featured in her latest productions How it Goes and The Ones Left Behind: The Plight of Single Mothers in Japan Starring Miharu Chiba. In addition, Asia is passionate about not just propelling entertainment initiatives forward, but doing so while truly connecting, captivating and inspiring viewers across the national and international scales.

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Contact

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