Experiencing Interruptions?

Dreams Of My Father

En route to an audition, aspiring actress Leila stops at a motel and hooks up with one of the locals. After swallowing a weed edible, she is flooded with paranoia and insecurity about her physical appearance as a transwoman. To make matters worse, everywhere she turns she sees the apparition of her biggest tormentor. Will she summon the courage to vanquish the demons of her past once and for all?

  • James Burkhalter
    Director
    Kween For A Day, ♥ Love, Ava ♥, Your Inbox Is Full, There Will Be Glitter
  • James Burkhalter
    Writer
    Last Call
  • Imani Leigh
    Producer
    We Be The Same, Retrograde, Welcome To The Party, Prana, Beard Balm, Keep Me At Bay
  • James Burkhalter
    Producer
    F^¢K '€M R!GHT B@¢K
  • Gillian Omotoso
    Key Cast
    "Leila / Mariposa Smith"
    The Joke (Music Video)
  • Ryan Sheehan
    Key Cast
    "Butch"
    The Stand, Yesterday
  • "Downtown" Kevin Brown
    Key Cast
    "Father"
    Charm City, Crybaby
  • Lamar Meachem
    Key Cast
    "Lionel (Child)"
  • Shireen Robinson
    Key Cast
    "Mother (O.S.)"
  • Ava Dee
    Key Cast
    "Sister (O.S.)"
    ♥ Love, Ava ♥, There Will Be Glitter
  • Justin Foreman
    1st Director of Photography
    Time & Temperature, Pixel Pulp, The Purgatory of Ghosts and Grief, Mylo Goes West, Woodshop
  • Tyler Grimes
    2nd Director of Photography
    Too Fast To Fast, From Farm To Table, I'm Dead/Haunted Church (Music Video)
  • Mohamed Sultan
    Sound Mixer
    Rug, The Secret History of Doors, The Purgatory of Ghosts and Grief
  • Joe Cahill
    Musical Score
    FLICK, The Purgatory of Ghosts and Grief
  • Sylv Martinez
    Art Director
  • Yifan Luo
    Promotional Materials
  • Christine Fils Aime
    Hair & Makeup
  • Terra Blissett
    Documentarian
  • Rebecca Marimutu
    Documentarian
  • Alex Henderson
    Publicity Photography
  • Zach Dotson
    Publicity Photography
  • James Burkhalter
    Editor / VFX
    Kween For A Day, ♥ Love, Ava ♥, Your Inbox Is Full, There Will Be Glitter
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Thriller, LGBTQ, Revenge, Queer, Blaxploitation
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 15, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival
    Nassau, Delaware
    United States
    July 10, 2021
    World Premiere
    Award of Merit
  • Baltimore International Black Film Festival
    Baltimore, Maryland
    United States
    October 6, 2021
    Maryland Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - James Burkhalter

James A. Burkhalter is a Baltimore-based filmmaker, screenwriter, and educator. His directorial credits include a feature-length poetic documentary entitled "There Will Be GLiTTER," as well as several shorts including "Dreams Of My Father," "Kween For A Day," "Love, Ava," and "Your Inbox Is Full." His films have been honored at the Baltimore International Black Film Festival, the Black Femme Supremacy Film Festival, and the LGBTQ Unbordered International Film Festival, among others.

In the summer of 2021, James produced the critically acclaimed comedic short film, "F^¢K 'EM R!GHT B@¢K" (2022 Sundance Official Selection), and his queer horror screenplay, "Last Call," won 2nd Place at the Baltimore Film Office's 16th Annual Screenwriters' Competition (hosted by the MDFF). In Spring 2023, he was awarded a $30K production grant through the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund to produce his 2nd feature length documentary, tentatively titled "Guns 4 Gays; Or, My First Time."

James holds a dual Bachelor of Arts in Documentary Film Studies and English from Gettysburg College and a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). As of 2022, he is working as a Graduate Professor in MICA's Filmmaking department in Baltimore, MD.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

To draw on the words of New Queer Cinema director Gregg Araki, my film, Dreams of My Father, is “not 100% autobiographical but it is 100% personal.” It employs horror and action movie tropes to channel the resentment and anger I harbored toward my father for decades.

After dodging mirrors and cameras for an entire year, I reached the breaking point where I surgically erased our striking family resemblance.

In telling this deeply personal story, I want to challenge society’s concept of binary oppositions and explore the grey areas between good and evil, love and hate, masculinity and femininity, and reality and dreams.

In a subversion of conventional filmmaking’s heteronormative, patriarchal gaze, the male lead character is treated as the sexual object of desire. The film’s nontraditional narrative deliberately withholds information, challenging audiences to fill in the blanks and interpret the material in complex ways.