Private Project

How To Make Friends In The Water (When Both The Water And The Friends Can Drown You)

A Semi-Educational, Semi-Fun, Tragi-Comic Film, “How To Make Friends In The Water" is about the mental and environmental blocks that keep us from connecting and thriving "in the water" especially if you weren’t taught to “swim” when young. The absurdist short film, which is inspired by 1940s social educational films from the U.S., follows the journey of Susie as she tries to learn about both the people and the water that surrounds her. Beyond the playful vintage veneer, this project is at its core about the ramifications of not being properly socialized in a safe, loving environment (CPTSD), the maladaptive coping mechanisms we learn along the way, and the difficulties of having to teach yourself skills as an adult that you were supposed to learn as a child.

  • Symin Adive
    Director
  • Symin Adive
    Writer
  • Symin Adive
    Producer
  • Symin Adive
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Student, Other
  • Genres:
    Comedy, drama, animation, tragi-comedy, educational
  • Runtime:
    26 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 15, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    650 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Norway, Switzerland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Trondheim Academy of Art
  • BKH Award (Norwegian Parliament)
    Trondheim
    Norway
    June 1, 2024
  • Midnorsk Filmsenter Short Film Grant
  • Queens Arts Fund
    Queens
    United States
Director Biography - Symin Adive

Symin Adive’s work combines hurt and humor. It both overshares and sugarcoats. She is a headline writer for The Onion and an Art Director whose past clients have included change.org and The Empire State Building. She uses her background in comedy and design to make the unpalatable palatable via multi-disciplines. In general, she's interested in relationships: how we connect or don’t, the real versus the performative. All the absurd and familiar ways in which we relate are of key importance especially if it’s hilariously sad and sadly, hilarious.

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