Experiencing Interruptions?

Birthday Cake

Set in the deep south, Birdie marks the first anniversary of leaving her abusive lover, Donnie, with a ceremonial candle on a cake. One by one, her fellow survivors leave for the night, and Birdie is left to mourn the love she left behind with her abuser. As the evening unfurls, Birdie will be confronted by more than an aching heart in this Southern Gothic thriller. A haunting story of love, survival and the complexities found in relationships, this film examines modern domestic violence in a way that is seldom explored. An important film that promises to linger with viewers, Birthday Cake is as captivating as it is powerful.

  • Brantly Jackson Watts
    Director
    AKA Blondie
  • Brantly Jackson Watts
    Writer
    AKA Blondie
  • Kristina Adler
    Producer
  • Jon Watts
    Producer
    AKA Blondie
  • Brock Hanson
    Producer
  • Kristy Breneman
    Producer
  • Kristina Adler
    Key Cast
    Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
  • Justice Leak
    Key Cast
    The Walking Dead, Powers, Supergirl, Mena, The Great Debaters, Halt and Catch Fire
  • Mark Ashworth
    Key Cast
    The Magnificent Seven, Lawless, Sleepy Hollow, Banshee, Constantine
  • Danielle Deadwyler
    Key Cast
    Being Mary Jane, The Have and the Have Nots, Ir/Reconcilable, Sweet, Sweet Country
  • Hannah Fierman
    Key Cast
    V/H/S, Siren, The Unwanted, American Hell, Hold Me
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Southern Gothic, Drama, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 16 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    17,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    2K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition

    Second Rounder
  • Atlanta Film Festival
    Atlanta
    United States
    April 1, 2017
    World Premiere
    Audience Award Short Film
  • Milledgeville Film Festival
    Milledgeville, GA
    United States
    April 27, 2017
    Best Georgia Film
  • Terminus Conference + Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    United States
    June 23, 2017
  • Macon Film Festival
    Macon, GA
    United States
    July 28, 2017
  • Lanett City Film Festival
    Lanett Alabama
    United States
    August 11, 2017
  • Sidewalk Film Festival
    Birmingham Alabama
    United States
    August 26, 2017
  • The Smalls Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    September 3, 2017
    International Premiere
  • LadyFest Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    United States
    September 30, 2017
    Audience Award
  • Y'allywood Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    United States
    October 10, 2017
  • Indie Memphis Film Festival
    Memphis, TN
    United States
    November 3, 2017
  • Cucalorus Film Festival
    Wilmington, NC
    United States
    November 10, 2017
  • Fairhope Film Festival
    Fairhope, AL
    United States
    November 10, 2017
  • Rome International Film Festival
    Rome, GA
    United States
    November 11, 2017
  • Virginia Film Festival
    Charlottesville, Virginia
    United States
    November 11, 2017
  • South Georgia Film Festival
    Valdosta, GA
    United States
    March 2, 2018
Director Biography - Brantly Jackson Watts

Brantly Jackson Watts is an Atlanta writer, director and producer specializing in Southern Gothic narrative and documentary film. Currently, Brantly serves as an Atlanta Film Society Filmmaker in Residence. She is also a creator of the Homespun Series, a curated series of character-driven documentary films directed by Atlanta-area filmmakers.

Recently, Brantly worked with local filmmakers and the Atlanta Film Society to establish the New Mavericks year-round program in order to support women in the local Atlanta community to achieve a strong voice in the film industry. Brantly is serving as the program's first Chair.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Southern Gothic world is a realm I know too well--the well-mannered South gone sour. Growing up on a farm in the deep South forced me to use my imagination for entertainment, as well as allowed me to escape a violent childhood. As a survivor of childhood abuse, I quickly learned to run to the world of storytelling as a means to cope. As I get older, I keep coming back to the stories of my childhood--stories that are haunting, wild and dark. Stories that unearth the ugliness the South tries so hard to bury.

Research suggests that a victim of domestic violence will often attempt to leave an abusive relationship at least seven times before leaving an abuser for good. For years, I struggled to understand why my mother chose to stay with my father, a man with violent fists that struck blows as quickly as they’d offer comfort. As a young adult, I viewed my mother as weak and selfish. Now a married woman in my thirties, I sense a steely resolve in the tilt of her chin—a mother who feared what would happen to her four small children if she left the man who tried, and failed, to break her spirit. My mother, like the main character in Birthday Cake, possesses a different type of strength. Birthday Cake ultimately is a character study that explores the powerful and complex relationship between two people who are toxically drawn to one another like a match and a tank of gasoline. A couple like my mother and father.

I once heard a domestic violence victim describe what it’s like living as a survivor. She explained that she often feels like a rabbit in an open wood, waiting for a fox to dart out unseen, waiting to be devoured. I wanted Birthday Cake to convey a constant sense of danger, to make the audience as uncomfortable as the main character. Using a handheld camera style allowed us to magnify the intensity and provide a sense of realism to the film. Using longer takes will hopefully immerse the audience in the emotional content of the story, heighten the tension and at times making the viewer uncomfortable. Due to the already sensitive nature of the subject matter, we opted for a sonic score instead of a more traditional musical score. Natural sounds are used in key moments to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the story, while lending to the film’s overall sense of realism.