Private Project

Bubblegum

Star and Cleo - two siblings from a small town have to choose between personal gain or honest sacrifice when they stumble upon a life changing reward.

  • Celestine Ocean
    Writer
    You Go and Call Me Dave, Time in the Sun, Green Fuzz, Silverbox, Untitled (About Women*), Pyramids, Brand X, Last One To the Laser Show, Girl in the Box
  • Celestine Ocean
    Director
    You Go and Call Me Dave, Time in the Sun, Green Fuzz, Silverbox, Untitled (About Women*), Pyramids, Brand X, Last One To the Laser Show, Girl in the Box
  • Peyton Cuddeback
    Assistant Director
  • Heather Garcia
    Producer
    In-Between(s), Green Fuzz, Dead Immortal
  • Jon Peel
    Cinematographer
  • Leah Schiman
    Key Cast
    "Star"
  • Francis Rowland
    Key Cast
    "Cleo"
  • Neftali Kirkland
    Editor
  • Heather Garcia
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, coming of age, surrealist, mystery, cerebral, horror, experimental
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 29, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • McMinnville Short Film Festival
    McMinnville
    United States
    February 24, 2024
    Oregon Premiere
    Official Selection
  • South Sound Experimental Film Festival
    Seattle
    United States
    November 23, 2023
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Celestine Ocean

My name is Celestine Ocean (she/her) I am 29 years old and I am a multimedia artist and filmmaker based in New Zealand. I spent my formative years barefoot, running around the jungles of Maui, HI then moved to Orcas Island, Washington where I grew up and graduated High School. In May 2019, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA.

My film work is informed by childhood memories, fairytales, horror, sci-fi fantasy, feminist art and gender theory, as well as everyday observations of American society. In my work, I strive to wholly embrace calculated spontaneity, experimentation, and wonder; often illustrating complex themes through humor and irony, vivid color palettes, abstract, diverse characters, and immersive fictional worlds.

My goal as a director is to make a safe, creative space for progressive conversation, community building and expressive, honest storytelling to come to life. That space will be colorful, experimental, and eccentric, generating unique thought around representations of women and nonbinary people.

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Director Statement

Bubblegum is my first completely narrative film project as a writer/director. The film is shot in my hometown where I grew up on Orcas Island, WA. The story is inspired by my own childhood traumas such as my relationship with my mother, siblings and growing up in poor in a small town. The story of Bubblegum is important to me because it contextualizes, exaggerates and abstracts familial and societal obligations in a surreal, dream-like coming of age story.