Experiencing Interruptions?

Heritage

A teenager, disinterested in her Louisiana Creole heritage, finds herself having to entertain a visitor who only speaks what sounds like French. She’ll discover how magical it can be to connect with one's heritage.

  • Chasah West
    Director
  • Charliese Elisah West
    Director
  • Chasah West
    Writer
  • Charliese Elisah West
    Writer
  • Scott Tilton
    Producer
  • Autumn Palen
    Producer
  • Tina Burkhalter
    Key Cast
    "Lydia/Mom"
  • Chelsea Rae
    Key Cast
    "Grace"
  • Shaundrea Sylvester
    Key Cast
    "Veronique"
  • Jalia Martin
    Key Cast
    "Marguerite"
  • Will Avila
    Key Cast
    "Dad (Voice of)"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 56 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Chasah West, Charliese Elisah West

The West Sisters (Chasah West & Charliese West) are a screenwriting and filmmaking duo. They are of Louisiana Creole heritage, but grew up in South Africa, Zambia, and various states within the USA. Chasah and Charliese write family-friendly scripts and shorts, especially within the action/adventure and sci-fi/fantasy genres, that feature characters of color. Chasah and Charliese are both New Orleans Film Society Emerging Voices alumni. Their genre scripts have placed in a handful of screenwriting contests and film festivals. The list includes San Diego French Film Festival (Honorable Mention, 2024), Phoenix Film Festival (finalist, 2022), Austin Film Festival (2nd Rounder, 2021), and ScreenCraft's Action & Adventure Screenplay Competition (Semifinalist, 2021).

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Director Statement

The story of Héritage is a fantastical tale representing the artists’ efforts to reconnect to their mom’s mother tongue, the Louisiana Creole language. While attending a festival celebrating Louisiana Creole heritage, the West sisters looked on as their mother joined a Creole conversation activity and were only able to understand a handful of words. The thought struck one of them that communicating with their maternal grandparents, if they were still alive, would be nearly impossible. That thought, as well as the sister’s deeper understanding that Creole is more than a style of cooking, but a nearly eradicated language, was the spark for the story of Héritage. Their short is a small contribution to the growing movement for Louisiana Creole to be reclaimed, revitalized, and relearned by people of all ages.