Distant Things

A short coming of age film about a timid girl who invites her crush, a diffident wannabe wildlife photographer, over to her house during the corona virus quarantine.

  • Skya Theobald
    Director
  • Skya Theobald
    Writer
  • Skya Theobald
    Producer
  • Kylie Horan
    Key Cast
    "Lily"
  • Julia DeVita
    Key Cast
    "Jillian"
  • Quinn Theobald
    Key Cast
    "Walt"
  • Jayden Quinto
    Key Cast
    "Robbie"
  • Christian Quinto
    Key Cast
    "Robbie"
  • Theresa Mladinich
    Director of Photography
  • Chris Allsberry
    Camera Operator
  • Kylie Horan
    Art Direction
  • Caleb Forman
    Boom Operator
  • Moore Theobald
    Production Assistant
  • Ian Graziano
    Re Recording Mixer
  • Ian Graziano
    Colorist
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Romance, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 25, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Stanford University
Director Biography - Skya Theobald

Skya Theobald is an award-winning writer, director, and actress who grew up on Long Island, New York, and studies English and film at Stanford University. She enjoys writing and directing for the stage and the screen. Many of her pieces are simple, short and sweet stories involving everyday conflicts faced by teens.

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Director Statement

Three months into quarantine, sitting at home with barely any creative input or motivation to write, I suddenly got the spark. Inspired by a little fantasy I had about a high school crush, I wrote “Distant Things” in a day and quickly began planning to shoot it. It was quite the adventure to shoot. I pulled in my two closest friends and my brother to help me and funded the film with my high school tutoring money. We already knew it would be difficult shooting during the summer of quarantine, but we didn’t realize we’d also be shooting during the week of tropical storm Isaias. Shooting days had to be rescheduled, one day had to be reshot, and one of our locations looked entirely different after being ravaged by the storm. Through each hurdle, this team of teens worked together to figure out our next steps to complete the film. “Distant Things” is comically and endearingly honest; everyone can relate to the teenage awkwardness and the weirdness of quarantine.
Made with some of the most important people in my life and when I was really coming into my own confidence, not only as a writer and director, but as a person - as a teen girl - I think “Distant Things” really captures my own style and off-beat sense of humor. I can’t wait to share this film with audiences who delight in teenage troubles, unlikely connections, and intense awkwardness.