Paper Boats
Why can’t Rahel bring herself to sign her artwork? The visit of her high school academic advisor triggers memories of why she is haunted by her surname, yet she would not consider changing it.
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Gonzalo Guajardo-FajardoDirector
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Gonzalo Guajardo-FajardoWriter
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Abezash TameratWriter
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Gonzalo Guajardo-FajardoProducer
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Helana PapayanopulosProducer
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Bakyt ZhumadilovaProducer
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Semenesh ChesaKey Cast"Rahel"
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Samuel GhebreselassieKey Cast"Tesfaye (father)"
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Merone MisikerKey Cast"Kalkidan (sister)"
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Briana StoakleyKey Cast"Miss Simons (Academic advisor)"
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Samrawit Kefale-MareyeKey Cast"Mariam (mother)"
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Maric YatesKey Cast"School Principal"
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Dylan BolandKey Cast"Police Officer"
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Drama
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Runtime:15 minutes
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Completion Date:September 15, 2019
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Production Budget:18,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Ethiopia, United States
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Language:Amharic, English
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Shooting Format:RED
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Aspect Ratio:2.39:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
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The Valley Film FestivalLos Angeles,
United States
September 26, 2019
North American Premiere
Audience Award -
Reel Sisters of The Diaspora Film FestivalNew York, NY
United States
October 19, 2019
East Coast Premiere
Best Screenplay Award -
Ridgway Independent Film FestivalRidgway, Colorado
United States
November 8, 2019
People's Choice Award -
Seville European Film FestivalSeville
Spain
November 13, 2019
European Premiere
Panorama Andaluz - Official Selection -
Hollywood Music in Media AwardsLos Angeles, CA
United States
November 20, 2019
Best Short Original Soundtrack Award -
Pan African Film & Arts FestivalLos Angeles, CA
United States
February 18, 2020
Gonzalo Guajardo grew up filming crazy shorts with his friends in the backyard of his home in Seville, Spain. He always knew that this was his true vocation. He enrolled in Audiovisual Communications & Liberal Arts, and continued his learning process in the US and Central Europe.
In the summer of 2008, a trip to Ethiopia changed his life: He would never look back. He learned to speak Amharic, worked as a teacher, founded the humanitarian NGO VIHVE, and has been hired for myriad jobs for important worldwide channels and agencies, such as CNN, USAID, CCTV, MOVISTAR 0+, AFP, TV5Monde, and NHK, among others. He has published two collective fiction books and has recently been awarded for two short documentaries, which are still on the festival run.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Documentary Photography from the University of Seville and a Master’s Degree in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, completing the latter as a full beneficiary of the Spanish Talentia Scholarships. “Paper Boats” is his thesis film, produced in the Summer of 2019.
Paper Boats is a drama based on a few episodes of the memoir “How Long Can a Paper Boat Float?” by Abezash Tamerat. Reading the manuscript, I instantly knew a movie had to be made. The draft was touching, well written, cinematic, and brought a new approach to themes such as justice, love, hate, and identity.
The story unfolds both in the US and Ethiopia between the 1980s and today, depicting the struggles, defeats and triumphs of the main character during her childhood in Ethiopia, her departure to the US, dramatic events as a teenager, life with a new family and trip back to Ethiopia.
We knew that the adaptation would be challenging, but we believed that it was a story that needed to be shared. The process took an emotional toll on both of us, bringing us to seek professional therapy. Today, we both agree it has been worth it both for the movie and for our relationship.
Paper Boats is the tale of someone who lost her childhood and tries to find her place in the world. It’s a story of love conquering hatred against all the odds.