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Honest Work

A chance encounter between a vulnerable hipster and a charismatic hustler goes awry when a vial of white powder gets involved. Set against the pulsating background of an underground music show, Honest Work is a darkly comic look into the pits of hedonistic pursuit.

  • Kermis Batista
    Director
  • Kermis Batista
    Writer
  • Daniel Taveras
    Key Cast
    "Marcel"
    Tahara; Law and Order: SVU; FBI
  • Jake Bakirdan
    Key Cast
    "David"
  • Kermis Batista
    Producer
  • Mick Golden
    Composer
  • Samuel Spione
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Psychological Horror, Crime, Suspense
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - SUNY at Purchase College
  • New York Indie Shorts Awards
    NYC
    United States
    November 17, 2024
Director Biography - Kermis Batista

Kermis Batista is a filmmaker from the Bronx with a degree in Sociology from SUNY Purchase.

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Director Statement

Sharing an interest does not mean sharing a background. Such is the case at an underground music show, where, from the outside, everyone appears similar. The two main characters in Honest Work grew up not too far from each other in Queens, NY. However, they are polar opposites in personality and socioeconomic upbringing.

Many of the spaces I occupy in my daily life have this element to them—I live and grew up in the Bronx, five minutes away from both the Marble Hill housing projects and Fieldston respectively, the latter being one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. I would be in a classroom with both people whose parents were millionaires and people whose parents had been in jail for their entire lives.

This is a film about these kinds of encounters—the ones that feel like they should never happen... until they do. Then it can be something beautiful and refreshing for both people... until it's not. Honest Work is a film about the promise and risk of entering uncharted territory, where elation and agony are equally distant.