Experiencing Interruptions?

Bootie's

An overworked assistant who moonlights at a lap dance party is thrown when her dayjob boss comes into the club. As her worlds collide, the two are caught in a delightfully awkward game of social chicken and an unspoken power struggle that begs the question – who’s really in charge?

  • Milana Vayntrub
    Director
    Silicon Valley, Werewolves Within, Pickled Herring (Dir)
  • Gracie Canaan
    Writer
    Ovation TV, NBC
  • Gracie Canaan
    Producer
    Ovation TV, NBC
  • Milana Vayntrub
    Producer
    Silicon Valley, Werewolves Within, Pickled Herring (Dir)
  • Gracie Canaan
    Key Cast
    "Emmy"
  • Ashley Zukerman
    Key Cast
    "Jason"
    Succession
  • Sophie Lillia
    Crew
    Bad Shabbos
  • Izzi Rassouli
    Crew
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 3, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cinequest Film Festival
    San Jose, CA
    United States
    March 21, 2025
    World Premiere
    WINNER: Jury Award, Best Narrative Short (Comedy)
  • Aspen Shortsfest
    Aspen, CO
    United States
    April 4, 2025
    Colorado Premiere
    Official Selection
  • River Run
    Greenboro, NC
    United States
    April 11, 2025
    North Carolina Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Milana Vayntrub

Milana Vayntrub is an Uzbekistan-born director, writer and actor. She began her career making her own digital content. She's since acted in a few movies and tv shows, and directed numerous campaigns for companies like AT&T, Voya, and (most impressively) Cracker Barrel Cheese. Her award-winning documentary, following Syrian refugees landing on Greek shores, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in refugee aid. Today she’s focused on telling stories about immigrant communities, making people laugh, and raising a kid in a world that’s safe, equitable, and truly weird.

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Director Statement

BOOTIE'S set out to be a sharp, sexy comedy based on our writer Gracie’s real experience dancing at an underground Manhattan lap dance club. The story dives into the backstage lives of women navigating work, power, friendship, and survival.

This collaboration started completely by chance—Milana and Gracie met serendipitously at one of Gracie’s comedy shows in Toronto, where Milana happened to be directing a commercial. The timing, the connection, and the creative alignment all hit instantly. It just felt like this project was meant to be. BOOTIE'S became the perfect merging of their comedy backgrounds and their shared love of telling the male gaze to f*ck off.

We wanted to make something that didn’t rely on voyeurism or trauma, but instead showed the club as we experienced it: a workplace full of absurdity, intimacy, and humor. Our goal wasn’t to explain or justify the world of sex work, but to reflect its human side with specificity, bite, and love.

Together, we built a world that feels lived-in, chaotic, and alive. Our producer Izzi Rassouli (2AM) helped steer the ship with precision and heart. Assistant director Sophie Lillia (Bad Shabbos) kept the production on track with grace under pressure. We were lucky to have the incredible Ashley Zukerman (Succession, A Teacher), who brought warmth and heart to the screen. And in post, Emmy Award–winning editor Jay Nelson took everything we built and sharpened it into something we’re truly proud of.

BOOTIE'S is about work—what it costs, what it gives you, and how you survive it with your people. It’s fast, loud, and unapologetically female. We’re proud to have made something that’s as fun and specific as the world that inspired it.

Thank you for playing in our world—we hope you love it as much as we do.

Milana Vayntrub (Director, Executive Producer)
Gracie Canaan (Writer, Executive Producer)