Private Project

BLUE MOON

BLUE MOON is a vibrant vignette of a love story that takes place in a single night. It follows two young women through Los Angeles, as they explore the depths of themselves and one another. A beautiful portrait of how nurturing mutual vulnerability can turn into pure magic.

  • Emily Ruhl
    Director
    Newness (Sundance, 2017), Life on Mars (Short, 2020).
  • Emily Ruhl
    Writer
    Newness (Sundance, 2017), Life on Mars (Short, 2020).
  • Nathaniel Lezra
    Producer
    In Echo Park (Indican Pictures, 2018)
  • Elle LeBlanc
    Producer
    Breakdown (2020), Sector 17 (2017), In Extreamis (2019)
  • Olivia Berris
    Key Cast
    "Maya Davis"
    Cadillac City (2015), Rosehill Dwelling (2021)
  • Audra Thornton
    Key Cast
    "Petra Lindvall"
  • Matthew Tompkins
    Cinematographer
  • Emily Ruhl
    Executive Producer
    Newness (Sundance, 2017), Life on Mars (Short, 2020).
  • Jaime King
    Executive Producer
    Ocean’s Eight (Warner Bros, 2018), Sin City (Miramax, 2005)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Romance, LGBTQ
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 4, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Emily Ruhl

Emily Ruhl is a model, actress, producer, writer, and director. She has been featured in Teen Vogue, Nylon, Oyster Magazine, and Elle, amongst many others. She has been the face of many cosmetic companies including Smashbox, KKW Beauty, and MAC. Emily first starred opposite Nicholas Hoult in Drake Doremus' feature film Newness, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She also made a cameo appearance in Troian Bellisario’s short film, Life on Mars.

In 2021, Emily used her college fund to make her producing, directorial, and writing debut with BLUE MOON. The film premiered in October of 2021 at NewFest in New York City. The short has been to over 100 festivals around the world and won numerous awards in categories such as Best Romantic Short (1x), Best LGBTQ Film (3x), Best Woman Filmmaker (1x), Best Cinematography (1x), Best Short Film (4x), Best Director (4x), and Best New Director (2x). She also co-wrote and produced the theme song for the BLUE MOON titled HER. She is currently developing her first TV series, 13TH STEPPING which is being produced by her production company, Public School Pictures.

Public School Pictures was founded in 2022 with the remainder of Emily’s college fund and in its first year has developed an impressive eleven picture slate. It executive produced Georden West’s feature film Playland, which debuted at the Rotterdam Film Festival (2022) and premiered in North America at the Tribeca Film Festival (2023). The company has also developed an ongoing collaboration with Jim Cummings (2018 SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner). He is directing Public School Pictures’ upcoming original short film, Pretty Sad. The company is also executive producing Cummings’ two upcoming shorts The Last Brunch and Is Now a Good Time? The company’s slate also includes In The Garden of Tulips, directed by Julia Elihu (2022 SXSW Grand Jury Award Winner), and We Strangers, written and directed by Anu Valia (2017 Sundance Film Festival Award Winner).

Emily also hosts the Public School Pictures Podcast, where she chats with the cast or crew behind Public School Pictures’ projects. Her company recently launched a 14-piece merchandise collection and introduced the non-profit Back To School program, which will herald the next generation of filmmakers by providing students with opportunities and exposure to the industry.

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Director Statement

BLUE MOON is inspired by my best friend’s journey, as she’s recently honored her sexuality and begun dating women. Through hearing about her experience, I decided I wanted to write a story that encompasses all love. And thus, BLUE MOON was born. The initial concept was three minutes long and I was going to shoot it on my iPhone. This is the first thing I’ve ever written outside of English class, let alone directed. Honestly, I’m as shocked as you are.

When I was nineteen, I told my mom I was not going to go to business school. I was going to join the three ring circus that is show business. This film is solely financed by what would have been my college fund. Instead of sending a check to Penn State, I sent one to Panavision.

I’ve spent half of my lifetime on the other side of the camera. Writing and directing BLUE MOON has been the first time I’ve felt like I have a voice. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening. - Emily Ruhl