Experiencing Interruptions?

Demo-Lition

The fate of the Darren and Enora, an aspiring rapper with unbreakable resolve and his supportive wife for over a decade, hang in the balance of an all-too-important phone call from a record label.

  • Alesia 'Z' Glidewell
    Director
    Small Fish, Look at Me, Lana Steele: Makeup Spy
  • Omar El Alami
    Writer
    Missing Family, Storybook Ending
  • Nina Burnett
    Producer
  • Lidiya Korotko
    Producer
    Bombs Bursting in Air, Noor
  • Alesia Glidewell
    Producer
    Shook, A Trip to Unicorn Island
  • Robb Hanson
    Producer
    Look at Me, Small Fish
  • Rell Battle
    Key Cast
    "Darren"
    Killing It, Black-Ish, The Good Doctor, Good Girls
  • Geri-Nikole Love
    Key Cast
    "Enora"
    Star Trek: Picard, Westworld, NCIS, Fantasy Island, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Carl McDowell
    Key Cast
    "Terry"
    Ballers, Bobcat Moretti, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Animal Kingdowm
  • Valentina Martinico
    Director of Photography
    The Wedding Painting, A Prayer for My Father
  • Niko Vilaivongs
    Production Designer
    Welcome to the Circle, Line of Duty, Escape Plan 2: Hades
  • Kyree L. Frazier
    Executive Producers
    No Game Like Foxes
  • Renfro 'Gippetto' Hodge
    Co-Executive Producers
    After College, Follow(h)er, Mixed Emotions Vol. 2
  • Eric Kochmer
    Co-Executive Producers
    About Strangers: Road Series, Way Down in Chinatown
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 6 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 17, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.66
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Pan African Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    February 12, 2024
    World Premiere
  • Omaha Film Festival
    Omaha
    United States
    February 27, 2024
    Nebraska Premiere
Distribution Information
  • None yet
Director Biography - Alesia 'Z' Glidewell

Alésia Toyoko Glidewell, also known as Z, is a director, creator and writer with an intersectional identity. She is Asian American. She is Latiné. She is LGBTQIA. She comes from an international and urban background. And she lived a nomadic life growing up in Saudi Arabia, Mexico City, Boston, Florida, Brazil and more. Her love for filmmaking goes deep. She’s been in the film industry for two decades, not including the short films she made as an 8 year old and then again as a teenager in Boston. She studied Cultural Anthropology at Emory and Audio Production at the University of Washington. In the industry, she’s held just about every position on a film set and has worked across commercials, features and new media. You can see some of her docu-style work on the Disney + show Disney Insider (episode 8 and beyond) and on the Latin Media company mitu’s Facebook. Z was also a Producing Mentor for Women in Media’s CAMERAderie Initiative, a Sony Pictures Television Diverse Director’s Fellow, a VR SH//FT Scholar, a Stephen Curry & Storm Reid B-Amazing Filmmaker, and a recipient of the Superlounge Diversity Award for Commercial Directing.

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Director Statement

Art is subjective.

But it doesn’t feel that way.

When you’re an artist and you’re creating, it is easy to lose sight of the original reason you saw value in an idea.

Darren is an example to me of an artist that loses sight of that. His music becomes wrapped up in his means, meanwhile there are more subversive obstacles at play against him. Just like in the real world. An unjust system. Financial hardship. Cultural beliefs. Trauma. Life itself. There are a number of things on any given day that could keep an artist from continuing to create.

So, this film was something I wanted to explore - because I too had a lot of factors at play at the time of making it. I had an underlying fear of making my own projects again but didn’t even know it. I hadn’t made my own film in years that didn’t involve 21 stakeholders, tracked ROI or some stamp of worthiness or drive from an outside source. (Despite how much heart and soul I pour into all creative projects I work on.)

I needed to remind myself why I do this and make something I wanted to make. And Omar’s script gifted me that. The story was from a perspective I wanted to see more of. The aspiring rappers who “don’t get to grace our headphones with their rags to riches stories” as Omar said. As well as the artists who’s pursuit and choices impact the lives of their loved ones. Ultimately, DEMO-LITION reminded me that rejection and setbacks come from all sources — and are not always real. We artists can choose the stories we bring to life and we must keep creating.

Thank you.