Cynisca Reborn

Facing an uncertain future after a stroke, Ginny finds renewed hope in a crazy scheme cooked up by her grandson.

  • Stephanie A. West
    Producer
    Revenge Inc., Olsky, Tasting Columbus
  • Stephanie A. West
    Director
    Revenge Inc., Olsky, Tasting Columbus
  • Ryan Jaroncyk
    Writer
  • Gil Whitney
    Director of Photography
    The Street Where We Lived, Olsky
  • Austin Black
    Edited by
  • Stevene W. Thomas
    Music By
  • Austin Black
    1st A.D.
  • Madeline Anson
    1st AC
  • Austin Black
    Production Manager
  • Marah Archer
    Production Manager
  • Ray Ibsen
    Dolly Grip
  • Will Sammons
    Best Boy
  • Chris Cope
    Location Sound
  • Kayla Palmer
    Script Supervisor
  • Madison Berry
    Production Assistant
  • Tyria Wilkins
    Production Assistant
  • Kerrigan Peoples
    Production Assistant
  • Allyson Schnaidt
    Set Photographer
  • Natalie Harrison
    Prop Art
  • Jared O'Brien
    Post Sound and Mix By
  • Karen Chan
    Key Cast
    "Ginny"
  • Lucas Bentley
    Key Cast
    "Randall"
  • Kira Wilson
    Key Cast
    "Jillian"
  • Helen Yee
    Key Cast
    "Nurse Denise"
  • Dionicia Archer
    Key Cast
    "Tiana (Bowler)"
  • Jim Foreman
    Key Cast
    "Broadcaster V.O."
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Sports
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 10, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Apple ProRes 422 / BMPCC 6K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Stephanie A. West

Stephanie West is an award-winning and Emmy-nominated film producer and director. She's an alum of the the Sundance Institute Collab creative producing, directing, and visual storytelling courses as well as the New York Film Academy filmmaking and line producing courses. West (formerly Steph Greegor) began her career starring in front of the camera as a model and actress. She also worked in broadcast doing live spots for Fox Sports Ohio during her five seasons covering the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets. She's a producer, writer, and director who owns and operates Eleven One Productions, a boutique film production company based in Columbus, Ohio, and working with cast/crew out of New York City, L.A., and the Midwest region. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland University and teaches film as an adjunct professor at the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Cynisca Reborn has been a pivotal and life-changing film for me as a producer and director. I've tried different genres, but I keep coming back to sports dramas and mysteries. Cynisca has solidified for me my pathway in directing and producing and I am so grateful for that. Not only did I get to tell this beautiful story of a grandson's love for his grandma, but in turn, it helped me find my way, too. On that note, the reason I fell in love with this story, beyond just the core love story of family, was because of this "beauty in life and death" theme. It's first and foremost a story about being any age and finding a way to be a champion. Putting in the work and the hours and the belief in oneself it takes to do that. Second to that, it tells the story of the cyclical nature of life and how death is a part of that. In this case, our lead really lives her life, every moment of it, right up to the last moments. And her release into death is a peaceful one. It's a notion I like to play with and one that I'm grateful for here, where life and death are not separate entities at odds with each other, but instead are peaceful advocates for the other, knowing that they are circular forces. To that end, we maintained an inspirational note throughout, never taking a too sentimental route in color or tone. The color grade is even but goes from cool blues and less saturation to more yellows and higher saturation as it moves forward. We also took great care to make sure wardrobe and hair and make-up were in line with the real-life subject, Virginia Stenkel. We even used her real cane, walker, and bowling ball for the shoot to make it as authentic as possible. I also worked with the actors at two table reads to make sure they connected as people and to work through lines. We met with the writer as well (who is the actual grandson of our subject) and asked about mannerisms, tone, and other small details to make sure we got it right. As a producer, I made good use of my locations, making 8 separate movie locations out of two physical locations. Overall, I think we did justice to this story and to Virginia. And I thank her and Ryan every day for helping to change my life, too, and put me on the right path.