Lou's Song
An elderly woman, Gertie, is struggling to support her ailing husband, befriends her postal worker, Jesse as they connect in ways the never expected.
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Hanna KivlighanDirector
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Sophia LizarzaburuWriter
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Sophia LizarzaburuProducer
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Belinda ToddKey Cast"Gertie"
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Florence BabatundeKey Cast"Jesse"
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Vanesa MorenoDirector of Photography
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Carly KaderliProduction Design
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Sophia LizarzaburuAssistant Camera
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Carly KaderliSound Mixer
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Lou's SongMovie Title
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Drama
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Runtime:11 minutes 25 seconds
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Completion Date:April 4, 2021
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Production Budget:2,116 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:2:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Virginia Commonwealth University
Hanna Kivlighan is a current senior at Virginia Commonwealth university studying Cinema, English, and Spanish. Post graduation, she plans to pursue cinema, specifically screenwriting or production. She also has interests in the camera and art department. Alongside doing projects for school, she enjoys making shorts with her peers and friends and is also writing a feature and building her portfolio.
My name is Hanna Kivlighan and I directed the short film, Lou’s Song written by Sophia Lizarzaburu. The team who worked on this short film consists of six talented women who attend VCUarts Cinema. Each member of the team did a fantastic job bringing this amazing and bright script to life. I am so honored to have worked with an entirely female crew and cast as amazing as the crew and cast of Lou’s Song.
Lou’s Song is a sweet and nostalgic short film about a mail delivery employee bonding with an older woman living in the neighborhood. Gertie, the elderly woman, is married to Lou, the mailwoman’s old high school music teacher who has cancer. Upon reading the script for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the story, as it made me feel so happy yet also brought tears to my eyes. The story is sweet, but touches on very real problems that people go through. The bond between Jesse and Gertie, the two characters, is a bond that I’m sure many people can relate to. In just a little over ten minutes, the audience sees these two characters who were practically strangers, bond in a way that is truly genuine.
It is rarely often that stories in cinema are based around two strangers with such a wide age gap. Jesse is in her twenties, and is searching to find her place in this world- something that many twenty something year olds can probably relate to. Gertie has already established her life, but she has to readapt to her husband’s illness. These two characters brought together by Jesse’s job is a vignette of life that sparks into a compelling and interesting story between two loving and interesting characters.
I am so grateful to have directed this short film, and hope that whoever views it can take a minute to reflect on relationships and friendships in their life that may seem miniscule. The script sparked emotion in me, as watching a friendship bloom is such a precious and beautiful part of life. I hope everyone who views this short film is filled with the same uplifting energy and can find people and parts of life that spark joy.