Experiencing Interruptions?

Bliss Is Orange

When the chip implanted in her wrist lights up green, Claire discovers that someone nearby is the love of her life.

  • Jenna Kanell
    Director
    Max & The Monster, Bumblebees
  • Samantha Weissert
    Writer
    My Sources Tell Me
  • Raymond Wood
    Producer
    Summer Night, 1st Summoning, Holden On
  • Victoria Ealy
    Key Cast
    "Claire"
    The Resident, Nobody's Fool, House Of Cards
  • Jade Fernandez
    Key Cast
    "April"
    Little, Atlanta, The Resident
  • Agnes Mayasari
    Key Cast
    "Woman"
    Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, The Duff
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 20, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.4:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jenna Kanell

Jenna Kanell delivered a TEDx Talk called "A Bee Showed Me That Limits Are Lies" inspired by her vanguard short film "Bumblebees" which later went on to screen at over 40 at schools, festivals, and organizations around the world including Harvard Medical School and the CDC. She has since written and directed a myriad short films, commercials, and call to action videos. Additionally, she is a union actor (in films such as "The Front Runner," "Terrifier," & "The Bye Bye Man,") and stunt performer who trains in Krav Maga. She is arguably proudest of teaching her cat to do tricks.

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Director Statement

Sci-fi often revolves around grandiose mechanical elements and fantastical worlds, but as our cultures progress, we take for granted the growing role of technology threaded throughout the minutiae of our everyday lives. On the one hand, we've more control than ever: the movies we watch dictate the fate of future films, and we can speak directly with powerful politicians. On the other, we relinquish a great deal of trust for conveniences we don't always fully understand: from self-driving cars, to our personal information on social media as a commodity.

In the same way streaming services suggest what we watch and listen to based on our absorbed preferences, dating sites suggest people we may want to sleep with, talk to, and even spend our lives with. And in a world where everyone carries a computer in our pockets, embedding the same abilities beneath our skin lives not far off. This raises a variety of curiosities, just one of which is: who really controls the technology? And what motivates them?

With a diverse team both in front of and behind the camera, "Bliss Is Orange" approaches the intersection of technology and sexuality with a digestible level of brevity. As someone not only queer but highly cynical of what society teaches us about love and romance, I was eager to hop on board when writer/producer Samantha Weissert approached me to direct this quirky piece.

Freedom and danger often share a bed; hopefully we note which side we wake up on.