Word Is Bond
In the twilight of rap’s golden era, an upcoming LA emcee named Tracey finds freedom and escape dancing alone to an inner soundtrack on headphones, masking the secret in loud boom bap from his stereo speakers. Malik, his overbearing older brother ruptures this world as he enters the room, suspiciously lagging as if waiting for the unknown to be revealed.
Finding a clue in a provocative Blackstreet cover, another unexpected arrival from Lew and Obi who round out their crew delays the inevitable. Bursting into freestyle over the music of their mind, their mutual love of Hip Hop and the prospect of fame cools the flame - at least for the moment.
The four reach a party where Malik asserts himself to let his brother shine, ejecting a tape from the deck and inviting his brother to flow acapella on a makeshift palette stage. When he notices a blossoming connection between his brother and a man in the mesmerized crowd, even talent isn’t excuse enough for Malik, who is the first to leave Tracey alone once again; this time, there is nowhere for him to hide.
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Alex MastoonDirector
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Alex MastoonWriter
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Zachary MastoonWriter
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Alex MastoonProducer
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Zachary MastoonProducer
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Robert LewisProducer
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G. Lane HillmanKey Cast"Tracey"
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Ace AndersonKey Cast"Malik"
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Dominique WillinghamKey Cast"Obi"
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Amir J. MillerKey Cast"Lew"
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Harlan DoolittleEditor
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Julio Garcia EscamesDirector of Photography
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Zachary Mastoon (aka Caural)Original Score
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Sam CasasRe-Recording Mixer
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George TatajeSound Recordist
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Jaan Kristjan UtnoGaffer
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:12 minutes 47 seconds
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Completion Date:August 1, 2018
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Production Budget:11,000 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:RED
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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WINNER//Bowery Film FestivalNYC
United States
April 14, 2019
Best Short Film -
WINNER//Golden Sneakers International Hip-Hop Film FestivalHamburg
Germany
June 22, 2019
Germany Premiere
Best Short Film -
WINNER//Around International Film FestivalBarcelona
Spain
October 30, 2018
European Premiere
ARFF Audience Award -
WINNER//Tampa Bay Underground Film FestivalTampa Bay
United States
December 8, 2019
Best Musical Score/Supervision -
NOMINATED" Best Short Film"//Madrid International Film FestivalMadrid
Spain
August 10, 2019
Madrid Premiere
Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing -
NOMINATED "Best Short Film"//Woodstock Film FestivalWoodstock
United States
October 4, 2019
Best Narrative Short -
Outfest FusionLos Angeles
United States
March 3, 2019
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Pasadena International Film FestivalPasadena,CA
United States
March 19, 2019
Official Selection -
Los Angeles Women's International Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
March 23, 2019
Official Selection -
Bellingham Music & Film FestivalBellingham
United States
April 6, 2019
Official Selection -
Kansas City International Film FestivalKansas City
United States
April 12, 2019
Official Selection -
Philadelphia Independent Film FestivalPhiladelphia
United States
May 10, 2019
Official Selection -
Black Alphabet Film FestivalCincinnati
United States
June 20, 2019
Official Selection -
Hip Hop Film FestivalNew York
United States
August 3, 2019
Official Selection -
Atlanta Black Pride Film FestivalAtlanta
United States
August 31, 2019
Official Selection -
BENT Sacramento LGBTQ Film FestivalSacramento
United States
October 11, 2019
Official Selection -
Eve Film FestivalOttawa
Canada
October 26, 2019
Canadian Premiere
Official Selection -
Blow-Up International Arthouse Film FestivalChicago
United States
November 8, 2019
Official Selection -
Shinjuku World Film FestivalTokyo
Japan
December 14, 2019
Japanese Premiere
Official Selection -
SEMI FINALIST // Dumbo Film Festival
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Lift-Off First-Time Filmmaker Festival
From her childhood in South Florida creating worlds in spiral notebooks - inspired by the glow of early MTV - Alex Mastoon began shooting skate videos in Brooklyn with her brother, precariously wielding a clunky Dell laptop as her camera. Graduating to Set Decoration and Art Direction on indie features and shorts in Chicago, her talents got her hired in art departments for various commercials, and Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story; experimentations with video art led to blockbuster and commercial Production Management for companies like Nike, and directors such as Zack Snyder & Michael Bay.
Once in Los Angeles, she collaborated with burgeoning artists to produce live streaming content for Red Bull Music Academy that broke the internet. And with downtime at a popular post house in Hollywood, she soon fused her unique inspirations to write and direct her debut short, Word Is Bond: a day in the life of a closeted rapper in 90s LA. Through close collaboration with LGBT rappers of color who lent the necessary authenticity to the struggle her film highlights, this sonic & visual poem about homophobia in Hip Hop debuted at Outfest Fusion at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. It has since received awards and nominations at screenings throughout Europe, North America, and Japan.
Gaining her first Production Designer credit on an upcoming feature film with Chris Noth & Tyra Ferrell, Alex now resides in the Hudson River Valley, working alongside innovative artists, dancers and musicians throughout New York. She has finally found a home for her ever-evolving aesthetic: multi-disciplinary, raw storytelling to hear with your eyes.
Alex's debut “Word Is Bond” was inspired through close collaboration with LGBTQ rappers of color who lent the necessary authenticity to the struggle her film highlights.
While your word is your bond, it is your secrets that can threaten everything. This film is about the struggle shared by so many in the LGBTQ community afraid to be themselves, a reality largely ignored - especially in the rap world. "Word Is Bond" is loosely based off a few individuals who prefer not to be named who still deal with homophobia in the hip-hop community and wanted me to bring their stories to light in a poetic way.
With my ongoing advocacy in the non-profit world, I’ve defended and educated youth in front line communities, and it is through those I’ve helped that I’ve gained true inspiration. Bringing together voices from the black and LGBTQ communities in our cast and crew added a critical dimension to this film, creating a safe place on set and endowing its screenplay with an authentic perspective obviously foreign to a white female. Together, we transformed a once hidden life experience into a rich story to share on screen - too universal to ignore.
While punctuated with comedic moments, at its core this dramatic narrative explores how the masks we wear for protection are ultimately our undoing - and the most dangerous fracture to our most important relationships. Not only do we want to start a conversation with this film, we want to raise our voices for everyone to whom this common predicament speaks, whatever their reasons may be.