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Cleaner Daze

Cleaner Daze is a dark comedy series set inside a Juvenile Drug Treatment Center in Santa Cruz, CA. The story follows Jasmine, a newbie drug rehab counselor, as she struggles to wrangle a misfit crew of teenage drug addicts, while secretly battling her own addiction.

  • Tess Sweet
    Director
  • Tess Sweet
    Writer
  • Dan Gambelin
    Writer
  • Cheryl Isaacson
    Producer
  • Abigail Reno
    Key Cast
  • Karin Babbit
    Key Cast
  • Peter Lindsey
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 25, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    13,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Austin Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    November 15, 2018
    Best Original Series
  • ITVfest
    Lancaster, VT
    September 20, 2018
    Best Writing
  • Tribeca NOW
    New York, NY
    April 20, 2018
    Honoree

  • April 20, 2018
Director Biography - Tess Sweet

Tess Sweet is a writer/director, a recovering drug addict, and a lover of dark comedy. In 2011, Tess graduated with an MFA from UCLA’s film and television directing program where she received the esteemed JIM MORRISON FILM AWARD and the JACK NICHOLSON DISTINGUISHED DIRECTOR AWARD. In 2011, she won the Grand Jury award from Mattel Toys for her short film, LITTLE PUNK. In 2012, her film, I LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY won “Best Short” at SF Indie Fest. After graduating from UCLA, Tess moved to Santa Cruz where she started a visual storytelling program for At-risk youth. Tess currently works in the bay area as a freelance director and editor, serves as President of Loud and Clean, and is a currently a mentee with Women in Film Los Angeles.

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Director Statement

Cleaner Daze is about addiction and what it does to people. It’s a show I’d binge watch. It’s my favorite kind of story. Super funny, super sad, it hits home. My characters are the most unlikely angels with broken wings. They’ve been to prison, given blow jobs for drugs, smoked meth with their parents, and lived under bridges. They’ve survived unspeakable trauma and somehow found a way out. Usually the result of hitting a horrific bottom, getting clean is a fork in the road. It happens or it doesn’t. Usually it doesn’t. My heroes are the ones who not only survive but succeed beyond all expectations of what’s possible, the former crackhead hooker turned music producer, the former homeless man turned hotshot lawyer. This is the magic of recovery. It’s so rare and so very magic.