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Last Hoorah at G-Baby's

Last Hoorah at G-Baby’s is a coming-of-age dark comedy short film that centers an apathetic Naja who is grieving the death of her grandmother, with whom she was the caretaker for. After blowing through her cash inheritance, Naja owes five months of back rent on her grandmother’s rent controlled apartment in a gentrifying New York City. Facing eviction, Naja devises a plan with the help of her best friend, Val, to make enough money to make rent by the end of the week. When selling everything doesn’t work, she results in throwing the party of the year as a last ditch effort.

  • DeeDee Casimir
    Director
  • DeeDee Casimir
    Writer
  • Jordan Shanks
    Produced By
    The Distinguished, Negro League Nights, Seven, Never Again
  • Armani Greer
    Key Cast
    "Naja"
    The Waterboyz, If It Isn't Love, Through a Glass, Dimly
  • Cecelia Monday
    Key Cast
    "Val"
    Snowfall, All American: Homecoming, S.W.A.T.
  • Chaine "CJ Fly" Downer
    Key Cast
    "Sosa"
    Many Saints of Newark, Pro Era (musical artist)
  • BeeBe Smith
    Key Cast
    "Ms. Pauletta "
    American Crime Story, NCIS, Glee, Jane the Virgin
  • Thomas Copeland JR
    Key Cast
    All American
  • Melanie Wainwright
    Associate Producers
    Queen & Slim, Insecure
  • Camille Chambers
    Associate Producers
    Homegirls, Hot Water Brew
  • Joi Pierre
    Associate Producers
    Homegirls, Hot Water Brew
  • Melanie Wainwright
    Photographer
    Dior
  • Brenton Oeschsle
    Director of Photography
    Safe Place
  • Sam Zarrin
    Editor
  • Jordan Vertison-Hardy
    Sound Recordist
  • Yao Wen
    Production Designer
  • William Antonio Dry
    Art Director
  • Yety Akinola
    Costume Designer
    Rest Stop, One Night Stay, 40-Year-Old Version, Raising Kanan
  • Abby Austria
    Sound Designer
  • Hann McEwen
    Intimacy Coordinator
  • Tyrone D. Dixon
    Line Producer
    Roll Bounce, The Company We Keep, Tupac: Ressurection
  • Alexia Salingaros
    Colourist
  • Jeremy Jardine
    Composer
    Ctrl+Alt+Desire
  • Adia Z. May
    Co-Producer
    Life Below Zero, Welcome to Klyde's Kitchen,
  • Christina Ingraldi
    Co-Producer
    Negro League Nights
  • Kim Coleman
    Executive Producer
    BlacKkKlansman, Zola, Snowfall, Dear White People, Love Craft Country
  • DeeDee Casimir
    Executive Producer
  • Kim Coleman
    Casting Director
    BlacKkKlansman, Zola, Snowfall, Dear White People, Love Craft Country
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Dramedy, Comedy, Drama, Coming of Age
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 29, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    33,344 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Loyola Marymount University
  • Micheaux Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    None
    Official Selection
  • Urbanworld Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    November 16, 2024
    New York City Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Pan African Film Festival

    February 15, 2025
    Official Selection
Director Biography - DeeDee Casimir

DeeDee Casimir is a Haitian-American filmmaker whose comedic storytelling celebrates the vibrant lives of Black women. Born in New York to immigrant parents, she grew up the youngest of seven children in a lively family.

With a keen eye for style, DeeDee infuses her work with a distinct aesthetic influenced by her visual arts background in fashion. Her stories highlight Black women coming of age, which she believes can happen at any stage of life, and defy the constraints of respectability politics and societal expectations.

DeeDee has worked with renowned organizations such as 3Arts and Showtime, and has been recognized for her talent through programs such as the Academy Gold Rising initiative and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s Group Effort initiative.

She holds a B.A. from Howard University and an MFA from Loyola Marymount University.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Since I was six years old, I’ve had an intimate relationship with death. After losing my mother to cancer, the death machine hasn’t let up. As a result, I was raised in community; surrounded by loved ones who took an invested interest in my development. My maternal grandmother, Liliane, was integral to that.

My sisters and I grew up spending extended periods of time with her at her multi family building in Flatbush, Brooklyn. When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer during my junior year of college, it was a no brainer to move in as her caretaker. Simple things like the jingle from the Mister Softee truck brought back memories. My sisters and I would beg my grandma for cash then sprint after the truck following the sound. We'd feel so satisfied when we finally caught up. As an adult, that same path I ran would become my route to the pharmacy for my grandma's medication.

Four weeks after returning to school, she passed.

I inherited a modest lump sum of money and a minority stake in her building. My severe underemployment compromised my ability to use the inheritance as a foundation for my future. It instead became a crutch. As for the building, it was later sold; which made me evaluate the idea of home, community, legacy, and transition. For this project, I have reimagined my circumstances and channeled that into our protagonist, Naja. She is used as a vessel to show how a young person may handle their newfound responsibility in the face of loss as they experience the whiplash of adulthood.