Ouroboros
One masked dancer threatens the cycle of pursued acceptance met by authoritative rejection when part of her facade falls away and she can truly see.
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Emma KeehanDirector
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Nick EarlyWriter
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Emma KeehanProducer
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Andrew HarringtonProducer
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Kyra ReneeKey Cast
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Project Type:Experimental, Short, Student, Other
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Genres:Fantasy, Dance, Theatrical, No Dialogue, Dark Fantasy
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Runtime:8 minutes 1 second
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Completion Date:December 15, 2016
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Production Budget:1,500 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
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University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Student Film FestivalMilwaukee
United States
December 17, 2016
First Place -
Visions 8 Film Festival and ConferenceWilmington, NC
United States
April 6, 2018
Best Narrative -
Midwest Independent Film FestivalChicago, IL
United States
August 9, 2018
Grand Jury Prize Winner -
Milwaukee Short Film FestivalMilwaukee, WI
United States
September 8, 2018
Best Wisconsin Film -
Reel 2 Reel Student Film FestivalBurlington, NC
United States
November 2, 2018
First Place -
Dumbo Film FestivalNew York City
United States
March 9, 2019
Official Selection -
Indie Visions Film FestivalCharlottesville, VA
United States
March 31, 2019
Semi-Finalist -
Light & Future International Film FestivalHouston, TX
United States
March 31, 2019
Semi-Finalist -
Riverside Short Film FestivalNew Haven, MO
United States
April 5, 2019
Missouri Premiere
Official Selection -
Chippewa Valley Film FestivalEau Claire, WI
United States
April 27, 2019
Eau Claire, WI
Official Selection -
Real to Reel Film FestivalKings Mountain, NC
United States
July 26, 2019
Official Selection -
Full Bloom Film FestivalStatesville, NC
United States
September 19, 2019
Official Selection -
Raleigh Film and Art FestivalRaleigh, NC
United States
October 2019
Official Selection -
Genre CelebrationTokyo
Japan
Official Selection -
Tryon International Film FestivalTryon, North Carolina
United States
October 2019
Official Selection -
Peak City International Film FestivalApex, North Carolina
United States
September 20, 2019
Best Silent Short Film - Student Category -
First Friday Film Festival Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
United States
September 6, 2019
Official Selection -
Florence Film Awards - Monthly CompetitionFlorence
Italy
Best Fantasy - October 2019 -
SHORT to the PointBucharest
Romania
Best Production Design -
Miami Independent Film Festival (MINDIE)Miami, Florida
United States
Official Selection - November 2019 -
Geek Short Film FestivalCharlotte, North Carolina
United States
November 2, 2019
Best Fantasy -
Johnson City Film FestivalJohnson City, Tennessee
United States
November 8, 2019
Best Cinematography -
NYLIFF (New York Long Island Film Festival)Seaford, New York
United States
November 8, 2019
Official Selection -
Big Water Film FestivalAshland, Wisconsin
United States
November 8, 2019
Loren Savitsky Young Filmmaker Award -
Stranger Days Independent Film FestivalCharlotte, North Carolina
United States
November 16, 2019
Best Art/Experimental Short -
Bensenville Short Film FestivalBensenville, Illinois
United States
November 13, 2019
Best in Show -
iffyDublin
Ireland
November 23, 2019
Official Selection -
Los Angeles CinefestLos Angeles, California
United States
Semi-Finalist -
Chandler International Film FestivalChandler, Arizona
United States
January 19, 2020
Official Selection - Short Film -
Experimental Dance & Music Film FestivalToronto
Canada
January 23, 2020
Official Selection
New to the Asheville, NC area, I am looking forward to being a part of the talented film community here.
My day job is in the mentoring/counseling field with flexible shifts and this has allowed me to work with some local filmmakers on several interesting projects and I look forward to continuing my engagement with the local film community.
Before moving to Asheville, I was a student at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM) where I graduated in 2018 with a degree in film. I was a member of the Production Club at my school for my first year and went on to be selected as the club's Producer and Officer, successfully running the club for the next three years.
I had some wonderful teachers at UWM, including Tate Bunker, Sky Hopinka, and the late Ken Wood. My favorite classes included: Zen, The Art of Filmmaking, Director of Photography, Horror, and The Business of Screenwriting. The connections with my professors and fellow students were the most valuable assets from that chapter in my life and I long for the time when we can all gather again to work on a collaborative project.
My years in Milwaukee were the longest time I have spent in one city. From a very young age, my family moved from place to place on an average of every two years. It was incredibly fun and exciting to move all over the world and meet and become friends with so many different people.
Amidst all the travel were two constants for me and my younger sister and brother. 1) We all were homeschooled. In fact, my first class in “normal school” was my first day in college, where I graduated with honors. 2) We were all on the saber fencing circuit for many years, bringing home gold medals and high rankings. My sister and I traveled around the world for years representing the US in our sport.
I want to use my life to explore, take risks, and connect with people along the way. Which is great because, as far as I can tell, that’s what life wants for me and if I should be allowed to philosophize for a moment, for us all as human beings.
Within a voiceless, fantastical present-future, heavily masked figures stand within what seems to be a cargo train as they travel throughout the night and arrive at their destination in order to carryout their solo dances. The judge allows the performers to offer only small portions of their contemporary routines before harshly buzzing each of them off stage.
Our main character begins to ponder the fruitlessness of this cycle as she sits in an enchanted room bustling with mesmerizing activity while a visionless wardrobe attendant hurriedly goes through the motions of preparing her for the stage.
The dancers repeatedly travel, present their art, and receive the buzz of failure from judges until one day the main character’s eyepiece cracks and falls away to reveal her innate sense of sight. She discovers her own unadorned skin and wakes up to the ineffectuality of the maze of unfulfilling circumstances that make up her life.
She confronts the next judge who rejects her efforts and reveals his specious nature. Trying to help her fellow voyagers, she lifts the mask from the next contender who, overwhelmed by the anxiety of learning of her own essential power, pulls the mask back down to cover her face, thus returning to the life she knows.
The main character reveals a dejected and despairing posture, sharply contrasting with her bold and sweeping choreography. Unable to face the challenges of a new way of life without help from her cohort, she returns to the train and rides on into the night wearing a fully repaired mask.