In the Land of Moonstones
A young girl looks back on an extraordinary time in her life — winter vacation the year she was eleven, when she went to visit her beloved Russian grandmother in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. But it wasn't just any ordinary vacation. That was the winter she fell in love for the first time, with an extraordinary boy just her age. Now, some time later, she remembers the joys and sorrows that followed.
Told in live-action and animated drawings, this film is an ode to intergenerational friendships, memories, and the first loves that never really leave us.
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Nicola RoseDirectorCreative Block, Callie & Izzy, Gabrielle
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Nicola RoseWriterCreative Block, Callie & Izzy, Gabrielle
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Nicola RoseProducerCreative Block, Callie & Izzy, Gabrielle
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Natalie KeatingKey Cast"The Girl"
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Rand McAvoyKey Cast"Boris"
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Valeriya KorennayaKey Cast"Babu"
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Valerie O'HaraKey Cast"Olga"
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Pavel ShatuKey Cast"Dad"
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Vicky GolbraykhKey Cast"Mom"
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Romance
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Runtime:38 minutes 11 seconds
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Completion Date:October 23, 2018
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English, Russian
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Oaxaca Film FestivalOaxaca
Mexico
October 6, 2019
Mexican Premiere
Official Selection -
Garden State Film FestivalAsbury Park, NJ
United States
March 31, 2019
Best Narrative Short Honorable Mention -
Midnight Film FestivalNew York, NY
United States
January 12, 2020
Winner: Best Featurette -
Queen Palm International Film FestivalPalm Springs, California
United States
Coronet Award Winner -
Blow-Up International Arthouse Film FestivalChicago
United States
Official Selection, Finalist (Best Narrative Short, USA) -
Boulevard Film FestivalQueens, NY
United States
June 27, 2019
New York Premiere
Audience Choice Award & Official Selection -
KIDS FIRST! International Film FestivalSanta Fe, New Mexico
United States
Official Selection -
Franklin International Independent Film FestivalFranklin, Tennessee
United States
August 15, 2019
Tennessee Premiere
Official Selection -
Dumbo Film FestivalBrooklyn, NY
United States
Official Selection -
World Music & Independent Film FestivalWashington, DC
United States
January 5, 2020
Washington, DC Premiere
Official Selection
Born outside New York City and raised in Florida and Maine, Nicola has split her time between New York and Paris since graduating from Columbia University and the Sorbonne-Nouvelle. Originally trained in puppetry and theatre, she has now made four films: the webseries Callie & Izzy (2015), Creative Block (2017), In the Land of Moonstones (2018) and Gabrielle (due out 2019).
Nicola also works as an independent casting director in the NYC area. Particularly interested in youth casting, she has cast for such outfits as Teen Vogue and Allure, and the upcoming indie feature Asking For It, among numerous other projects. She also works as a freelance film editor.
Everyone, or just about everyone, experiences a first love. "In the Land of Moonstones" is an ode to that moment in your life: when you're who you've always been, but teetering on the brink of who you're about to be. The "land of moonstones," for me, is that place where childhood and adulthood intersect, making our lives their most messy, vivid, interesting and deeply felt.