Conversations Between Shifts
Conversations Between Shifts chronicles the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of a nurse and her son.
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Jeanette Alvarez-BasemKey Cast"Jeanette, Mom (Herself)"
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Ben BasemKey Cast"Himself"
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Carmen Lydia EscobarKey Cast"Grandma Giga (Herself)"
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Larry BasemKey Cast"Larry (Himself)"
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Ben BasemDirector
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Ben BasemCinematography
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Ben BasemLocation Sound
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Ben BasemExecutive Producer
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Eden StrachanExecutive Producer
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Yeshim Kayim-YankoAssociate Producer
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Zeyneb HendersonAssociate Producer
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Zeyneb HendersonStory Consultant
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Ben BasemPost-Production Supervisor
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Yeshim Kayim-YankoEditor
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Tommy GonzalezEditor
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Will HopperEditor
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Yeshim Kayim-YankoVisual Effects
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Norman StaubColorist
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Gracie NeagoySound Supervisor
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Gracie NeagoySound Editor
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Jack LidenSound Editor
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Ben BasemAssistant Sound Editor
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Jayson NuñezAssistant Sound Editor
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Alex StuartRe-Recording Mixer
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Gracie NeagoySound Mixer
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Jack LidenSound Mixer
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Rebeka KashkinSound Mixer
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Cara MosesComposer
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Jeanette Alvarez-BasemAdditional Footage
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Madison CarrollAdditional Footage
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Madison CarrollSubtitles
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Project Type:Documentary, Short, Student
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Genres:Drama, Documentary
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Runtime:29 minutes 16 seconds
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Completion Date:February 10, 2022
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Production Budget:2,200 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - Ithaca College (Undergrad)
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FIDBA, International Documentary Film Festival, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaBuenos Aires
Argentina
December 8, 2022
International Premiere, South-American Premiere
Official Selection -
Heartland International Film FestivalIndianapolis, IN
United States
October 9, 2022
Official Selection, Indy Shorts Awards Showcase -
Chicago OnscreenChicago, IL
United States
August 29, 2022
Chicago Premiere
Official Selection -
Indy Shorts International Film Festival, Presented by Heartland FilmIndianapolis
United States
July 24, 2022
Midwest Premiere
Official Selection, Best Indiana Student Film -
Big Sky Documentary Film FestivalMissoula, MT
United States
February 26, 2022
Northwest Premiere
Official Selection -
IDFA AmsterdamAmsterdam
Netherlands
Official Selection Docs for Sale 2021 -
Flickfair Film FestivalOnline
May 1, 2022
Official Selection -
San Diego Latino Film FestivalSan Diego, CA
United States
March 12, 2022
California Premiere
Official Selection -
Oregon Documentary Film FestivalThe Dalles, Oregon
United States
January 22, 2022
Official Nomination - Best Documentary -
International Puerto Rican Heritage Film FestivalNew York City
United States
November 10, 2021
Honorable Mention - Best Documentary Short -
Workers Unite! Film FestivalNew York City
United States
October 8, 2021
World Premiere
Best Documentary Short -
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film FestivalProvidence, Rhode Island
United States
Semi-Finalist -
The San Francisco International Festival of Short FilmsSan Fransisco
United States
Short-Listed
Ben Basem is a documentary filmmaker, sound recordist, sound designer, piano technician, and Hoosier. His directorial debut, Conversations Between Shifts, has screened and been awarded internationally. Basem’s nonfiction work seeks to identify who people are by burying real events within their sensory experiences, and aims for character introspection rather than tangible truths.
The story of Conversations Between Shifts unfolded in real time. Every word and image breathed significance, both in my mother’s life and the environment of my hometown. I accumulated over six hundred hours of visuals, voice memos, and field recordings. These artifacts formed an ebb and flow of eyewitness accounts and artful tone poems; the empathy and care my mother exuded juxtaposed an apathetic and immutable world.
My time spent quartered away at home during the pandemic informed my approach to telling my mother’s story. With nothing to do but shoot and watch films, the documentary became a self-reflexive piece both about my mother’s experiences and my experience learning how to tell that story. My inspirations grew with the filmmakers I would slowly discover and love with time. I was heavily influenced by films like RaMell Ross’s Hale County, Josh Kriegman’s campaign doc Weiner, Jonathan Caouette’s Tarnation, Caveh Zahedi’s In the Bathtub of the World, and the hand-painted animated shorts of Stan Brakhage.
Conversations Between Shifts articulates the emotions of Jeanette and first responders around the globe. It unveils my mother's spiritual truths and emotional realities during this historic moment. Upon returning to this piece, future generations will experience a glimpse of what it was like laboring and living through this crisis.