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Born To Hustle

Carve open the frenzied mind of Emma Addams and you’ll discover an unruly symphony of many different players. Jeweller, Artist, Entrepreneur, Born Hustler - simultaneously compromised but brilliant.

Amassing a cult following of miscreants & misfits, her macabre work at Melbourne based @heartofbone_ has been worn by the likes of Billie Eilish, Billy Idol and Jean Paul Gaultier to name just a few.

Cut to the heart of what it means to be a creative and businesswoman, and discover that a mixture of ADHD, limited sleep and unlimited Coke Zero is what it takes when the mission to build your own brand runs bone-deep

  • Grace Anna Cardona
    Director
  • Emma Addams
    Key Cast
  • Carine Bizet
    Key Cast
  • Shannon Martinez
    Key Cast
  • Tyrone Dylan
    Key Cast
  • Rick Owens
    Key Cast
  • Grace Anna Cardona
    Producer
  • Andrew Fenaughty
    DOP
  • Grace Anna Cardona
    Editor
  • Niklas Malkin
    Colourist
  • Rubato Studios
    Sound Mix
  • Carlo Peritore
    Camera Operator
  • James Alexander
    Camera Operator
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    documentary, biopic, portrait film
  • Runtime:
    26 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 29, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Grace Anna Cardona

Grace Anna Cardona is an independent filmmaker, screen editor and first time director from Melbourne, Australia. Her self-produced directorial debut ‘Born To Hustle’ has taken out Best Short Doc at FilmQuest, Sydney Underground Film Festival and Sydney Women's International Film Festival. With a love for portrait pieces akin to fly on the wall documentary meets music video, Grace continues to hone her style and dive deep into the brains of female artists, creatives and glass ceiling breakers.

An ambassador for Texas based 'Musicbed' and co-owner of her award winning business 'Bottlebrush Films', she has spoken at workshops all around the world, educating on editing and branding. She is currently based out of Melbourne, producing content under her brand 'Dopamine Creative'

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Director Statement

While watching this film I wanted the viewer to experience what it's like to live inside Emma's incredibly unique mind, and to almost be overwhelmed by the chaos and frenetic nature of her lifestyle. As a self proclaimed 'born hustler' she genuinely doesn’t stop to take a breath and has unlimited reserves of energy, so the rhythm and pacing of the film is very much how it feels to spend even a few hours in her company.

A huge goal of the film was to create something that would maintain the attention of people with ADHD, as Emma herself has severe ADHD and tends to jump from one thing to the next in a heartbeat. Over the years I’ve created educational films on branding that are fast paced with hard hitting music, and a couple of times I’ve had people with ADHD contact me and thank me, saying they actually watched the entire thing and didn’t zone out for once. That’s really stuck with me, and I’ve tried to bring that into this short doc. With 21 songs in 26 minutes, the music has very much played a big role in achieving this frenzied kind of style, relentlessly catapulting viewers from one moment to the next.

In terms of messaging, I’ve really created this film for every girl who was ever taught to people please. Emma is not a people pleaser, she’s the polar opposite. Never taking no for an answer, chasing down exactly what she wants, all whilst being unapologetically herself. In that way, I’ve found her hugely inspiring and motivating to be around, and it’s made me check my own people pleasing habits - which I’m proud to say I’ve finally shaken off after 31 years.

My hope is that this film gives other women permission - to put it bluntly - fuck shit up