HEART LAND

When a cynical, disenchanted New Yorker gets stuck on a layover in Kansas, she finds a romantic spark where she leasts expects it -- a Red State.

  • Lauren Ciaravalli
    Director
    Love Daily, Sunnyside Up
  • Lauren Ciaravalli
    Writer
    Love Daily, Sunnyside Up
  • Charlotte Infinger
    Producer
    GLOW, Big Little Lies
  • Shakira Barrera
    Key Cast
    "Juliet"
    GLOW, Shameless
  • Brock Harris
    Key Cast
    "Luke"
    American Princess, Major Crimes
  • Kalilah Robinson
    Director of Photography
    American Murderer
  • Mario Andrew Fierro
    Editor
    To Life Do Us Part
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    romance, comedy, romantic comedy
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 26, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lauren Ciaravalli

Lauren Ciaravalli is an NYC-born, LA-based director with a passion for female-driven stories and a track record for success across a wide array of formats and budgets. Lauren is currently prepping an independent feature with Two Twenty Two Pictures. Last year she directed L.O.L. Surprise: The Movie (Netflix) which peaked as the #6 Movie on Netflix in the USA in October 2021. In 2019 she was tapped to direct Season 1 of BratTV’s series SUNNYSIDE UP,. Prior to that, AwesomenessTV hired Lauren to write and direct an episode of the romance anthology series LOVE DAILY (Paramount+), for which she earned a WGA Award Nomination. Her skill for captivating audiences extends to the world of commercial and branded content, where Lauren creates and directs for clients such as Spotify, Spinmaster, Barnes & Noble and many more. Lauren holds a BFA in Film & Television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. More can be found at www.LaurenCiaravalli.com.

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Director Statement

I was born in Manhattan, NY and have never lived anywhere besides the NYC and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. Like most urban Millennials, I've done my share of swiping and serial dating.

As a writer/director with a habit of turning her personal life into story research missions, I took my relationship with relationships even further. Throughout my twenties I devoured every dating book and science-backed article and podcast I could get my hands on. Somewhere between re-reading "Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus, quoting Esther Perel, and decoding text messages with friends, I wondered if there was a better way, a different way, to approach relationships. It seemed the only angle I hadn't explored was geography.

Almost on a whim, I booked a trip to Manhattan, KS -- the irony of the name itself was too juicy to resist -- and began traveling the state asking every and any Millennial I met to talk with me about love, life, dating and mating.

Through it all, one central theme prevailed -- the Kansans I met seemed to lack a cynicism about love and monogamy. Most of them genuinely believed in love, and most often, they genuinely found it.

Yes, Heart Land is a modern romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it. But mostly, it's about the much harder journey of finding that magic spark, and learning to believe in it when you do.