Lioness

An imprisoned woman dreams of freedom in this short film that blends animation with live action. Lioness sheds light on modern-day slavery in the American prison system.

  • Nicole Pouchet
    Director
    Retch, Such an Honor, Strowlers
  • Nicole Pouchet
    Writer
    Retch, Such an Honor, Strowlers
  • Monica Valenzuela
    Producer
    Retch, Such an Honor, El Camino Solo
  • Eva Abram
    Key Cast
    "Amelika"
    23rd & Union
  • Natalie Mazzoni
    Key Cast
    "Fran"
    The Alliance
  • Brian Gunter
    Key Cast
    "Guard"
    Prospect
  • Sirena Riley
    Key Cast
    "Namla"
    God Spelled Backwards
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 6, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Seattle Black Film Festival
    Seattle, WA
    United States
    April 30, 2022
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Tacoma Film Festival
    Tacoma, WA
    United States
    October 14, 2022
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Nicole Pouchet

(she/her) A former Broadway assistant director, Nicole Pouchet is a novelist and writer/director for the award-winning fantasy series, Strowlers. She is currently in development on the feature film, Her Mad Hatter, an adaptation of the best-selling fantasy romance novel.

Her horror/social thriller short, Retch, premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in 2019, won Best Film at the Seattle Black Film Festival in 2020, and has shown on DirecTV, Amazon, PBS, and Alaska Airlines. Her subsequent films -- a sci-fi short called Such an Honor and a fantasy animation/live action blend called Lioness have been official selections at dozens of festivals worldwide.

Prior to filmmaking, Nicole owned a bi-coastal marketing agency with tech, entertainment, and nonprofit clients. In addition to managing her staff of ten employees, she oversaw multi-million-dollar budgets with consistently high ROI. She sold the agency in 2016 to fully focus on her craft.

A 2024 Artist Trust fellow, Nicole continues to write/direct projects that incorporate social commentary into genre film. She has served as a Board Member for Destiny City Film Festival, for Northwest Screenwriters Guild, and for Zombie Orpheus Entertainment; and as a lecturer for the University of Virginia, Clarion West, SIFF, and Women in Film.

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