Experiencing Interruptions?

I TURN GRILLS ON

Struggling with grief, an unfeeling son (Adam Mamawala) and the frustrations of post-death bureaucracy, Ruth’s (Marceline Hugot) day takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with Didi (Marcia DeBonis), a stranger facing her own crisis.

  • Lizzy De Vita
    Director
  • Lizzy De Vita
    Writer
  • Sarah Greenbaum
    Writer
  • Petrus van Staden
    Producer
    Katope (2023), Prayers for Sweetwaters (2021), Heaven Reaches Down to Earth (2020), Mthunzi (2019)
  • Hannah Kettering
    Producer
    Mutt (2023)
  • Sarah Greenbaum
    Producer
  • Lizzy De Vita
    Producer
  • Marceline Hugot
    Key Cast
    "Ruth"
    The Leftovers, 30 Rock, Ozark, The Blacklist
  • Marcia DeBonis
    Key Cast
    "Didi"
    Heels, The Chair, Uncut Gems, Orange Is the New Black, 13 Going on 30
  • Adam Mamawala
    Key Cast
    "Cody"
    Under Cover Comic, Everyone You Hate is Here
  • Sarah Greenbaum
    Director of Photography
    LET (2023), Tragedy Babes (2023)
  • Sadra Tehrani
    Production Design
    Manifest (2023), Chiqui (2022), The Kind of Crime (2021)
  • Chad Raines
    Music by
  • Ross Shenker
    Casting by
    Cora Bora (2023), Molli and Max in the Future (2023), The Good Half (2023)
  • Dale Brown
    Casting by
    Shrek the Musical (2013), Living and Dining (2003)
  • Andrew Siedenburg
    Sound
    Family Portrait (2023)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 38 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    59,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lizzy De Vita

Lizzy is an artist, writer and filmmaker. They received a BA from Barnard in English Literature and Art history and an MFA in Sculpture from Yale School of Art. They have screened and performed their work nationally and internationally, including at the National Museum of the Moving Image, The Connelly Theater and The Andy Warhol Museum. This is their first narrative film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I Turn Grills On is a dramedy about grief, feeling stuck, and the salve of a stranger’s presence.

Grief is queer. Many of us at one point or another have felt our lives suddenly placed on hold by some kind of disaster. These are “What now?” moments where the world as we knew it abruptly halts its reliable turn. Everything feels queer, strange—even things that felt normal yesterday. That queer feeling is grief.

In these instances where things do not work as they should, we are also given an opportunity to reexamine our world and who we thought we were within it. An identity shift, a Queering. And that can feel surreal as all hell.

Yet, moments like these—of rupture and adaptation—are part of what it means to be human in our weird, wonderful world. Ruth’s story, of a life upended and a self reimagined, is one for us all. This is Ruth’s coming-of-age story, at 64 years old.