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Kesi

On the eve of her 21st birthday, Kesi and her band of stuffed animals travel back home for her alcoholic Mother's funeral.

  • Daniel Maggio
    Director
    The Glory Hole, Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-a-thon
  • Daniel Maggio
    Writer
  • Wesley Houdyshell
    Producer
    Remembering When: The Story of Mr. Whittier's Hemet
  • Susan Peirce Thompson (Executive Producer)
    Producer
    Bright Line Eating
  • Brian Keith Dalton (Executive Producer)
    Producer
    Mr. Deity
  • Avalon Penrose
    Key Cast
    "Kesi"
    Taking the Fall, Your Friend's Ex
  • Vika Stubblebine
    Key Cast
    "Morgan"
    Losing it, Lonely Mary
  • Jared Moore
    Key Cast
    "Kesi's Father"
    Remembering When: The Story of Mr. Whittier's Hemet
  • Nick Mandernach
    Key Cast
    "Gabe the Fiancé"
    Duncanville, Young Shelton
  • Monica Reichl
    Key Cast
    "Cynthia"
    Freelancers
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Family, Stuffed Animals, Grief / Loss, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 24, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Daniel Maggio

Daniel Maggio was born in Hemet, California and many of his films have been produced there. At the age of 13, he wrote his first screenplay (The Unknown Superhero) which was directed by his teacher/mentor Jimbo Marshall and produced through his middle school. The film premiered at the Temecula International Film Festival and that screening was the moment that solidified Daniel's lifelong pursuit of filmmaking.

At 17, he directed his first feature film (Brosis.) It's the story of a brother and sister who unknowingly start dating each other over the internet. Daniel's Mom, Shesanie, played a prominent role in the film and was instrumental in getting the project off the ground.

Everything changed when Daniel started hanging out with the indie rock band, Hippie Cream. With Hippie Cream's prolific output and collaborative spirit, Daniel was hooked and wanted to start making films "the hippie cream way." As a collaborative artist, you give your performers/team members just enough structure to stay true to the "song" but allow their personalities/talents to shine through. Maggio has directed multiple short films based on Hippie Cream's music as well as a feature length sci-fi musical (Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-A-Thon) and a documentary telling the band's story (Radical Parade).

In 2014, Maggio directed "The Glory Hole" for Dan Savage's HUMP! Fest. The 4 minute short tells the true story of how Jeff and Cosgrove fell in love at a San Francisco glory hole 22 years ago. The couple is still together today and Cosgrove has appeared in many of Daniel's films. "The Glory Hole" won the Grand Jury Prize at HUMP!, screened at FRAMELINE, and is distributed through Wolfe Video.

Daniel currently lives in Pasadena with his stuffed animals; Blurp, Murp, Derp, Burb and Princess.

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Director Statement

This film is a tribute to my mother, Shesanie. She is the reason I started making movies in the first place, she gave me the courage to see it through. When I was 17, I wrote my first feature screenplay and she simply said, "You have to make it." She even agreed to play a main character, to help out with the production. After shooting one scene with her, it was clear she had been drinking before hand. I took her aside and said she couldn't do that and it was disrespectful to the other actors. She showed up sober (I think) everyday after that, knew all her lines and was amazing. I couldn't have done it without her and wouldn't still be making movies today if it weren't for her.

In 2018, she died of complications due to alcoholic-induced cirrhosis of the liver. It seemed like making a film was the only way to honor her life and make sense of her death. Growing up, my Mom's nickname was "Kesi."

In the film "Kesi," the deceased Mother character IS my Mother. We used her name, likeness, cause of death, hobbies, impressive number of ex-husbands, possessions and even her real ashes. This is her final on-screen appearance.