Experiencing Interruptions?

Loving Lenna

A poetic narrative following Lenna's discovery to self-love.

  • Kirstie Muñoz
    Director
  • Kirstie Muñoz
    Writer
  • Heather Brawley
    Producer
    Façade, Mister Harmac, Feminist Theory and How It Relates to the Patriarchal Dividend
  • Kirstie Muñoz
    Key Cast
    "Lenna"
    American Zombieland, Feminist Theory and How It Relates to the Patriarchal Dividend, Womprats
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Kirstie Muñoz

Born in Flint, MI, Kirstie Muñoz has been acting since she was a teenager, getting her start in the Flint Youth Theatre, where she met her first mentor, Bill Schwerin. She appeared in several feature films in Michigan before moving to Los Angeles in 2013 where she has continued her work and training as an actress. Ms. Muñoz is trained in Meisner, having completed Alex Taylor’s program at the Taylor Acting Studio. Ms. Muñoz has also moved into working behind the camera. She has been involved in many projects including the web series Keeping It 100: The Series, multiple features, and a Netflix pilot; in roles including Key PA, 1st AD, and Associate Producer. Ms. Muñoz makes her directorial debut with Loving Lenna.

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Director Statement

I've been wanting to make a short film told through narration and voicemail for a while, to put my catharsis into character. It was April 2020, and our “new normal" had me struggling financially and creatively, I needed to put my focus towards self-care during our second month of quarantine in LA.

It was another sleepless night. It was 4:00am and I was meditating to "Inward" by East Forest (the music used in the film) when images started flowing through my head…life growing, the night sky, dust in the sun, and thus the story of Loving Lenna was born. With the help and trust of my fiancée, Heather; we pulled together what resources we had in our home. Our two "Wo-man" crew worked together, standing in for lighting, taping gels and jimmy rigging a camera mount for difficult shots. The entire film was shot on our iPhone 11 Pro Max, in one week.

In Loving Lenna, everything is brief but intentional. The color schemes move between warm and cold; the characters’ wardrobes are opposing in nudes and reds...The poetry and music set the tone of the character. My character's name, Lenna, means lion's strength, brave hearted. She is LGBTQ+, but that’s only a part of who she is. The other character, Vida, means life or beloved. Everything has a meaning, a purpose. I wanted to show hints of isolation, depression ("the ugly") and sadness that everyone can relate to one way or another. Yes, Lenna is sad about a lover but the undertone is much more than that. She has love from family and friends, but her journey is in finding love of self.

My intention with Loving Lenna, my directorial debut, is to have the audience pause and just “be" in the present moment. To have “all the feels" so to speak. To feel heartache but in that, find a silver lining; the beauty of it all! What started out as an outlet for my ADD, a "Quarantine Film"... became something more. I left it open to interpretation because art is subjective. As artists, we are constantly growing. Sometimes the lessons we learn must come from deep within.
THAT...is the deepest love.

-Kirstie Muñoz
Director, Loving Lenna