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Logline

In the most difficult season of her life, a tenacious Park Ranger discovers her inner strength as she navigates the overwhelming challenges of caring for her ailing daughter and aging mother, while embarking on a quest to save an iconic and resilient little tree from rising tides…before it’s too late.

Synopsis

Hana, a tenacious Park Ranger, has a long lineage of family memories dating back to the first Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. As she grew into adulthood, she maintained a special relationship with one particularly inspirational little hollowed out tree whose roots had slowly begun to disappear under the brackish waters of the Potomac River. Despite the effects of climate change, rising sea levels, and a sinking foundation at the Tidal Basin — Hana’s tree, somehow found the strength to keep blooming. But time is running out, and the beloved Cherry Blossom tree’s future is threatened.

As Hana faces mounting pressure to save her resilient tree before it’s too late, her mother Marian’s health begins to fail, requiring Hana’s care during her sunset years. Simultaneously, her young daughter, Mae, has been diagnosed with cancer and must begin life-saving chemotherapy. Feeling as though she is in the midst of an ongoing storm, Hana faces the most difficult season of her life, when the demands at work to save the Tidal Basin from flooding collide with overwhelming caregiving demands at home.

Set over the course of a year the stakes are raised in the race to save her little tree, slated to be destroyed in the impending reconstruction project. Threatened by worsening weather patterns, and an immovable Architect Engineer with plans to destroy the trees to make way for a higher sea wall. Just as Hana begins to feel overwhelmed by the ongoing work stress, and the declining health of her mother and daughter, she discovers her inner-strength and the inspiration she needs to move forward were in front of her all along — as she looks back through the family photo album, and follows the rich lessons about the power of love and care within its pages.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Deanna Gerstel Harris — Writer/Director/Executive Producer
A writer, director, producer, and former creator of digital content for kids with developmental disabilities, Deanna was featured in Redbook Magazine’s “Heroes: 10 Moms Who are Changing the Face of Autism.” An experienced manager of Broadway, film and TV talent, she has volunteered her time providing assistance to the GLAAD Media Awards production staff during the recorded broadcast. As a member of the queer community, she is also a non-profit co-founder who launched an organization to provide safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and adults in the primarily red state of Arkansas. Recently, Deanna was appointed to serve as a Fellow for Caring Across Generations, a national organization working to transform the way we care in this country. Deanna’s projects are informed by her passion for centering under-represented voices and experiences.

Mel Harris — Executive Producer
Mel is a respected organizational, philanthropy, and DEI-B leader— building over $310M in revenue over the course her career with global leaders such as Walt Disney, Netflix, Warner Brothers Discovery, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, NFL, Meta, Target, Mars Wrigley, Delta, L’oreal, and Coca-Cola. She also brings deep experience structuring diversity programming and strategy roadmaps from innovating new programs with The Juilliard School and University of California, to leading collaborations with the Recording Academy, LiveNation, Davos, Cannes Lions, and Capital Hill. Mel proudly served as a Producer of the 2022-2023 GLAAD Media Awards and leader of marketing and fundraising campaigns that move our culture forward.

Youngran Nho — Animation Director
Youngran Nho is a graduate of CalArts. She supervised animation as the Animation Director for the Academy Award-winning Netflix short If Anything Happens, I Love You. She has also worked as the head story artist on the animated feature film Groove Tails directed by Bob Logan. Currently, Youngran is storyboarding on the upcoming animated short film Leaf.

Zain Effendi — Composer
Zain Effendi has worked on the production of dozens of scores, including Pirates of The Caribbean 3: A Dead Man’s Chest, The Simpson’s Movie, Bee Movie, Transformers, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 2: Escape From Africa, The Dark Knight and more. Zain is the recipient of a 2024 World Entertainment Award along with multiple nominations and wins in Music in Visual Media, Best Original Score- Documentary, and Best Live Performance award at the 2023 HMMA’s.

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Contact

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