Experiencing Interruptions?

POWERS

A budding artist in her 60s hangs sculptures on telephone poles to spread joy in her urban community. Afraid to get caught, she disguises herself as a man and through her anonymous acts of kindness she comes into her own, making peace with her troubled past.

This uplifting story reminds us that it’s never too late to discover one's true passion.

The film was shot during the Pandemic by an all-female crew of one, on an iPhone 11pro.

  • Paige Morrow Kimball
    Director
    Play Date, Ending Up, Sesame Street
  • Paige Morrow Kimball
    Producer
  • LORI POWERS
    Key Cast
    "HERSELF"
  • ROD CORVO
    CO-EPS
  • JOHAN HARAHAP
    CO-EPS
  • PAIGE MORROW KIMBALL
    CINEMATOGRAPHER
  • VALERIA GUALDI
    EDITOR
  • PAIGE MORROW KIMBALL
    EDITOR
  • CATHERINE JOY
    COMPOSER
  • OMRI LAHAV
    COMPOSER
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    ART, WOMEN, HUMAN INTEREST, LGBTQ, UPLIFTING, AGING WELL
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 3, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Iphone 11pro
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cleveland International Film Festival
    Cleveland
    United States
    March 31, 2022
    World Premiere
    WINNER BEST WOMEN’S SHORT FILM
  • Outshine Film Festival
    Miami
    May 5, 2022
    WINNER BEST SHORT FILM
  • Wicked Queer Film Festival
    Boston
    WINNER BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
  • Film Arte
    Berlin
    Germany
  • Rhode Island Int'l Film Festival
  • Dances With Films
    Los Angeles
    West Coast
  • Gold Standard Film Festival
    New York
  • Cordillera
    Reno
  • Woods Hole
  • Port Townsend
  • Global Peace Film Festival
  • DC Shorts
  • DTLA
  • Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival

    Best Cocumentary
  • Ojai Film Festival

    Best Short Documentary
  • Sedona International Film Festival
    Sedona, AZ
    March 8, 2023
  • Durango Film Festival
    Durango, CO
    United States
    March 4, 2023
  • WOMENS VOICES NOW FILM FESTIVAL
    Virtual
    United States
    March 3, 2023
  • WOMENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL -
    Virtual
    United States
    March 4, 2023
  • Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
    Missoula, MT
    March 5, 2023
  • Vero Beach Film Festival
    Vewro Beach
    United States
    June 1, 2023
    Best Documentary Short Audience Award Winner, Best Documentary Short Jury Award Winner
  • Lighthouse Film Festival
    Long Beach Island, New Jersey
    United States
    June 1, 2023
    Official Selection
  • NEXT GENERATION INDIE FILM AWARDS 2023
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 29, 2023
    Best Short Documentary Award Winner
Distribution Information
  • Trademark Films
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Paige Morrow Kimball

PAIGE MORROW KIMBALL began her career in documentary and unscripted television and later established herself in the scripted world, producing and directing 14 films for HBO’s iconic, SESAME STREET. Her latest short film, POWERS, which she filmed on an iphone, premiered at Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals in 2022 and won five festival awards to date. Her short film, OFF THE WALL, LOS ANGELES was commissioned by PBS and received the highest viewership of the series. Her highly acclaimed short film, PLAY DATE, won seven festival awards, and can be seen on Omeleto.com. Other projects include, short film, ENDING UP (ROKU, ShortsTV), and comedy web-series pilots: LEMONADE: WINNING and EXILED OUT EAST. Paige’s extensive credits in unscripted TV include PROJECT GREENLIGHT, THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, 16 DAYS OF GLORY and many more. Her first feature film, LATE BLOOMERS is currently in late development. She is a member of the DGA, SAG-AFTRA and holds a BFA from NYU Film School.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Director’s Statement

I survived the Pandemic with Two Teenage girls stuck at home. Yup. really. To stay sane, I took long walks every day so I could be a better parent through this crazy time. I began taking photos of anything positive I could find; cats roaming around the now emptied streets, parents playing catch with their kids, a homemade sign hung on a window telling me to hang in there. I took different routes every day. The more I walked the more positive messages I found.

One day I saw a re-purposed trash sculpture hanging on a telephone poll that said: LAUGH OFTEN. It lifted my spirits instantly. There were others too: BE LOVE, BE YOU and more. I searched on-line to learn about the artist who made them. Much to my surprise I couldn’t find anything at all except that other people had the same question. WHO WAS THIS ARTIST?

I always took new routes and a few weeks later, I found a sculpture in a front yard that was like the others. At that moment, a woman walked out of her front door. I asked, "Are you the artist who makes the telephone pole sculptures"? “Well, yes", she said. "But don't tell anyone." I was instantly curious.

Over the next year-and-a-half, I went to Lori Powers' studio almost daily, filming her on my iphone 11PRO. She revealed her story to me little by little and the deeper we went, the more I built up my gear: iphone mics, lenses, a slider, a selfie stick. I taught myself to edit on Premiere Pro.

Filming Lori became a lifeline for me; it was something I could create while the world paused. I didn't know what the outcome would be, but I had the sense that by making myself HAPPIER, I could help my kids and also be in service to others. I thought whatever this would become, it could be a healing gift for the world.

As a filmmaker, I believe it's my purpose to reflect Joy out through my lens. Lori Powers is a joyful, inspiring person whos story will uplift so many people. I hope you enjoy watching POWERS and that it will brighten your day. I hope your Joy dial is Waaaaayyyyy UP!

- Paige Morrow Kimball, Director, DP, Editor, Producer - POWERS