Private Project

Perceptions

A story of Helen (42), who is moving back to New York, to her parent’s house, where after their father’s recent death, her older sister Elaine (46), has moved in with her family.
“Perceptions” comes to play in many dimensions. Both Helen and Elaine have formed opinions based on their own personal thoughts and narrow-mindedness, and neither knows how to listen to the other side, or how to communicate with the other. Halfway through the movie the viewer is faced with their own perception and a question of who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist.
Helen is desperately looking for love, from a boyfriend, her father, even her sister.
Elaine has been so busy trying to be perfect in everything she does, that she has lost touch of how to connect with people, how to love, how to care. She is losing it with her husband, her sister, and even her 6 years old daughter Lily is becoming like her.
After a culminating “fight scene”, Elaine has a flashback and realizes that she has been too hard on Helen their entire lives.
In the last scene both sisters spill their guts and realize that they are more alike than they thought, and no matter what they’ve been through, they are sisters, a family, after all.

  • Eha Urbsalu
    Director
  • Eha Urbsalu
    Writer
  • Eha Urbsalu
    Producer
  • Imoya Monroque
    Producer
  • Tony Costa
    Producer
  • Jane Hilfiger
    Key Cast
    Gina in Larry Ravioli
  • Eha Urbsalu
    Key Cast
    Alice's Mother in Still Alice
  • Caitlin Moeller
    Key Cast
    Elizabeth at The Jim Gaffigan Show
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 25, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Estonia
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Eha Urbsalu

I am from Estonia and visual storytelling has been my interest since childhood, as my mother was a costume designer in Estonian film studio “Tallinfilm” during the Soviet Union.
I have been an actress from early age. In recent years, however, I have moved more to the other side of the camera, writing, producing and directing.
I received my B.A in Arts in Film and Media Arts, from SUNY in New York, having taken half the courses online while traveling the world. I had previously attended Hunter College for Music and American Academy of Dramatic Arts for Acting.

DIRECTING
Short Film - Perceptions / EHA Enterprises - 2016
Music Videos - (Only For You, This Time, Boys Boys Boys, etc ) - 2009-2016
Commercials - (AardWolf - 2 spots, Doritos spec commercials ) - 2009-2010

ACTING
HOMELAND - TV series - Decoy President / Lesli L. Glatter/ Showtime Networks
PERCEPTIONS - short film - Helen / Eha Urbsalu/ EHA Enterprises
OKJA - Double/Tilda Swinton twin / Joon-ho Bong/ Netflix
STILL ALICE - Alice’s Mother / Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland/ Sony
I’M STILL HERE - Starlet / Todd Haynes/ HBO project
ROYAL PAINS – TV series - Assistant / USA
MEN IN BLACK 3 - 1963 Secretary / Barry Sonnenfeld/ Columbia Pictures
ANNA DORANNA - Anna / Sasha Burnett/Dutch Tale Productions
SPY GAMES 3 - Grazina / Georg Gavrilov/ Permanent Residence Prod
THE DOCTOR IS IN - Ariana / Frank Slaten/ Morton Street Films
THE STEPFORD WIVES - Stepford Wife / Frank Oz/ Paramount Pictures
CAMERA - Girlfriend/ Richard Martini
CANNES MAN - Secretary / Richard Martini/ Rocket Pictures

FILM MUSIC
PERCEPTIONS – short film / Eha Urbsalu / EHA Enterprises
MANEATER - TV series / Timothy Busfield / Lifetime TV
THE DOCTOR IS IN - short film / Frank Slaten/ Morton Street Films

INTERNATIONAL SINGING / Awards
2009 Performer at Istanbul Jazz Festival / Turkey
2006 Winner of Toronto International Music Awards / Canada
2004 Performer at Model of the Year Awards / Univision / Ecuador
2005 Finalist Eurovision / Estonia

EDUCATION & TRAINING
B.A. in Arts in Film and Media Arts / Summa Cum Laude / SUNY ESC / New York
A.A. in Arts in Music / SUNY Empire State College / New York
American Academy of Dramatic Arts / California
Westholmi Gymnasium- Specialized Musical High School / Estonia

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“Perceptions” is my first short film and it is based on my experience with my own sister, and also on my best friend, who died last year.
Often time siblings, families, and people in general, do not listen to the other side of the story. They are quick to form an opinion, become jealous in their own mind, even get angry, when it is all in their head, only a perception. I realized that it would be good to make this film, as after people see it, maybe they’ll realize that perhaps they have misjudged someone in their own family. If it helps even a few people and families, then I have done my job.

Thank you for your consideration,
Eha Urbsalu
Writer/ director/ composer/ co-actor/ co-producer of “Perceptions”
Perceptions Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perceptionsfilm