Experiencing Interruptions?

What's Your Number?

The story of an unlikely friendship between a Holocaust survivor and a young African American boy who meet at the park on an ordinary afternoon. The kid is waiting for his Mom to pick him up from school, but on that day she doesn't show up, and his phone dies. The Holocaust survivor notices that the kid has been waiting for a while. He asks him if everything is ok. The kid responds that he doesn't know what happened to his mom. She is late, and his phone is out of battery. The survivor offers his phone so he can call his mother. The kid immediately notices a number on the old man's arm. He thinks to himself, "that's a boring tattoo." The kid calls his mother and finds out that she got into a car accident, and she will be delayed in picking him up. The survivor stays with the boy until the mother shows up. The kid notices the number tattooed on the survivor's arm, which leads to a whole conversation about the survivor's past which includes a dramatic flashback to how he survived. An emotional connection is made between the Holocaust survivor and the African American kid, and a lesson in history is shared between the two. The mother arrives to the park, and the survivor's son comes to the park looking for his Dad because it is unusual for the old man to stay at the park for so long. The four of them share a warm moment. We learn that each one of us indeed, has a number...

  • Sigal Erez
    Director
    Across the Line
  • Sigal Erez
    Writer
    Across the Line
  • Sigal Erez
    Producer
  • Jessica Ortega
    Producer
  • Marcel Lehrer
    Producer
  • Daniel Knust
    Producer
  • Drew Snyder
    Key Cast
  • Alexander Arzu
    Key Cast
  • Zoe Yale
    Key Cast
  • Jamie Avera
    Key Cast
  • Marcel Lehrer
    Post Production Manager
  • Daniel Knust
    First Assistant Director
  • Daron Keet
    Director of Photography
  • Michael Matlock
    Editor
  • Kevin Stevenson
    Camera Operator
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Historical Fiction
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Action on Film Festival
    Las Vegas
    United States
    August 17, 2018
  • Silicon Beach Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
  • Women's Only Entertainment Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Award Winner
  • Los Angeles CineFest
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Semi-Finalist
  • Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival
    Hollywood
    United States
Director - Sigal Erez
Director Statement

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

The movie has powerful narrative, action, and perhaps most importantly an extremely relevant message, not only about the Holocaust, but about the forgotten bond between Blacks and Jews. A bridge is formed to close a huge gap between generations who do not know about each other’s history. We also see how ignorance remains today about stereotypes.

My hope is that we will realize that we are all noted on a list much higher than a tangible one; that each one of us is a divine soul in God’s eyes. When the intention is purely from the heart, miracles happen.

An extraordinary D.P. named Daron Keet agreed to shoot the film with top film equipment and a great crew for less than his usual compensation. Daron Keet: “Working with female directors is great because they are not afraid to ask questions and advise… I would love to work with Sigal Erez on any film.”

An A-list post production house led by Marcel Lehrer felt a strong connection to the film subject. He and his team (Paul Ratajczack, Mark Ettel, Hall Cantrell, Scott Radke, Patrick Sullivan) worked after hours on all aspects of the post production. From original score to sound design, they worked without being compensated.

My son Jacob, a 13 year old, operated the drone for a scene at the end of the film.

I am both grateful and emotional when I think of the many challenges and sacrifices my son and I made, but at the end we had angels coming our way.

I strongly believe that until now women were lacking opportunities. There were assumptions that women, for example, cannot direct big action movies. Or that women can only do a soft love story. My goal, and I’m sure most women would agree, is that we are not limited. We’re able to tell all kinds of stories. And we should be given an equal opportunity to create and to do so.

This story to me is about bringing two people together, who otherwise, wouldn’t meet each other. In life, it’s those surprising encounters that help us break stereotypes, preconceived notions, and show us at the end of the day that our basic, most important factor in life is love and kindness.

I believe Women in Film is an excellent platform for a creator like myself. My stories are very diverse. They reflect the many cultures, religions, and people that are influential in my life and who I have been exposed to. With an international family, several languages are spoken at our dinner table, and our looks are very diverse. We are adamant about not creating categories, not judging, and always being with an open heart to meet a person and judge their character based on our own experience with them.

I want to be an impactful storyteller. I want to make movies about extremely various subjects. I will make Women in Film proud.

Thank you for your consideration,
Warmly,
Sigal Erez