Experiencing Interruptions?

Chicken and Rice

After hitting a plateau in his physical training, Jason begins to spiral out of control as he turns to social media for guidance. What starts as a search for motivation quickly turns into an unhealthy obsession, on that forces him to question his worth, identity, and goals.

  • Javaughn Henry
    Director
    Imaginary
  • Javaughn Henry
    Writer
  • Leanna Obrien
    Writer
  • Leanna Obrien
    Producer
  • Javaughn Henry
    Key Cast
    "Jason Wright"
    The Comic Shop, Imaginary
  • Evan Wright
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 11, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    24,750 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Large Format
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.4:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Los Angeles
    United States
    January 7, 2026
    CFA Screening
    Spotlight Award
Director Biography - Javaughn Henry

Javaughn Henry is an award-winning actor, director, and classically trained musician whose work centers on character-driven stories about ambition, identity, and the emotional cost of pursuing success. With six years of Broadway experience and over a decade working across film, television, voiceover, and commercial media, he brings a performance-first approach to filmmaking, grounding his visual style in emotional truth and lived experience.

His short film Chicken and Rice was inspired by his own six-month journey training like a bodybuilder and observing how social media can distort self-image, discipline, and personal worth. Through the story of Jason, a young actor chasing the “perfect” physique, he explores the darker side of hustle culture, online validation, and the dangerous misinformation surrounding fitness and masculinity. As a director, his goal is to create intimate, unsettling, and human stories that challenge audiences to question what they value, what they consume, and what it truly means to be enough.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I was inspired to create this project based on my own journey. For the past 6 months I've trained like a bodybuilder and witnessed firsthand how social media can fuel misinformation, obsession and body-dysmorphia. Online, it's easy to find steroid users who claim their looks are the result of "Hard Work", misinformation that leads to poor health outcomes, and influencers selling training programs that do more harm than good.

Chicken and Rice is my way of shining a light on this reality and opening a dialogue about what it really means to be enough, and what we should truly value in our lives.