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Camping

"Camping" follows the story of Emma, an African American working homeless mother, and her 7-year-old daughter Gia, who live in their van.

Emma works as a rideshare driver and struggles to make ends meet. One night, they take on their most difficult passenger yet, Jen who threatens to report Emma for having Gia with her. Emma cancels the trip, leading to further conflict. Later, Emma and Gia stop at a store, where Emma tries to clean Gia up before bed.

However, their night takes a turn for the worse as they find themselves parking in a dangerous lot, and Emma receives terrible news. Despite the precarious situation, Emma does everything she can to make Gia feel safe and secure as they face their biggest challenge of the night.

  • Derek Quick
    Director
    Kommando 1944
  • Derek Quick
    Writer
    Kommando 1944
  • Lucia Vazquez
    Producer
    Kommando 1944
  • Brad Wyman
    Producer
    Monster (Oscar Winner) 2003
  • Rachel Quart
    Producer
    Sex Sells (Fuse Media), The Real Housewives Of Orange County (Bravo)
  • Derek Quick
    Producer
    Kommando 1944
  • Raven Miles
    Key Cast
    "Emma"
    20th Century Girl (Netflix)
  • Celeste Clark
    Key Cast
    "Gia"
    Westworld (HBO)
  • Francesca Duncan
    Key Cast
    "Jen"
    Are you the One (MTV)
  • Stepha Manley
    Key Cast
    "Barista-Zara"
    Bad Impressions
  • William Lawrence Toussaint
    Key Cast
    "Shields"
    TMI Hollywood
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    DCP- Red Gemini- 1.85:1
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Imagine Native (Academy Award) Qualifying Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    October 17, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • British Urban Film Festival ( BAFTA, BIFA, AMAA) Qualifying Festival
    Halifax
    United Kingdom
    October 19, 2023
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • LA Skins Fest
    Los Angeles CA
    United States
    November 14, 2023
    LA
    Official Selection
  • The Pan African Film Festival (Academy Award) Qualifying Festival
    Los Angeles CA
    United States
    February 19, 2024
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Derek Quick

Derek Quick (Negane Meno) is a multi award-winning Native American/Hispanic Writer, Director, Producer, and U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard Veteran with over 10 years of military service. He is a member of the Ottawa tribe of Oklahoma and his grandfather Chuck Red Cedar Todd was the Chief of the tribe.
Derek's films have screened at Academy Award and BAFTA Qualifying festivals around the world including Short Shorts Japan, Imagine Native, British Urban Film Fest, Hollyshorts, and Cannes with the American Pavilion.
Derek's Film Kommando 1944 a WWII film about the Japanese Americans in Internment camp in Manzanar California won over 160 awards including Outstanding World War II Short Film winner at the 2019 Spielberg's Band Of brothers film festival, won two Telly awards for best director and best diversity film. He also won two Remmy awards for best director and best drama short film at the World Houston festival.

Derek has a Degree from The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and studied film making at The New York Film Academy. He completed the NBC Universal sponsored Feature writers program in 2023 and was accepted into the Writers Guild Veterans program.
His screenplays have won and have advanced in numerous festivals including, ScreenCraft Film Fund 2023, PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, Final Draft - Big Break 2023, StoryPros Awards 2023, Creative screenwriting 2023,Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Fest 2023.

Derek is also an active stock investor running his own fund since 2006 and currently in third place in the world stock investing championship against active professional hedge funds.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"Camping" is a deeply personal project for me, inspired by my own experiences as a "working homeless" person living out of my car in Los Angeles. I know firsthand the struggles that come with trying to provide for yourself and your family while also facing the challenges of homelessness. As a writer and filmmaker, I wanted to shed light on the tens of thousands of working homeless individuals especially single mothers who put on brave faces every day, showing up to work and school without a place to call home at night.

Through "Camping," I hope to bring awareness to the difficulties faced by single mothers in particular, who often have the hardest time finding affordable housing in larger cities. Wage inequalities and record inflation make it increasingly difficult for economically lower-class and even middle-class families to keep a roof over their heads, and the risk of losing custody of their children and their jobs is a constant fear.

I believe that the struggles of the working homeless are often hidden from the public eye, and it's time for these stories to be told. "Camping" is a poignant tale of a mother's love and the lengths she is willing to go to provide for her daughter, highlighting the challenges faced by so many in our society today.

We are working on the feature version of this film with BRAD WYMAN: Academy Award Winner Monster 2003.

I hope this pilot sparks important conversations and brings about positive change for those who are struggling to make ends meet.