Experiencing Interruptions?

Mango Lemon Soda

After spraining her ankle fleeing a terrible date, Zahrah is forced to spend an evening with her estranged ex, Tyler.

Mango Lemon Soda delves into a long summer’s evening as Zahrah and Tyler uncover past highs and lows within their past relationship. Zahrah must overcome tainted feelings of nostalgia to escape toxic familiarity.

  • Emem Etti
    Director
  • Emem Etti
    Writer
  • Mérédith Gonzalez-Bayard
    Producer
  • Denya Normil
    Key Cast
    "Zahrah"
  • Benjamin Roy
    Key Cast
    "Tyler"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Romance
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 19 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 22, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
    Distributor
    Country: Canada
Director Biography - Emem Etti

Emem Etti (they/she) is a Nigeria-born, Vancouver-raised visual and textile artist currently completing a BFA in film production at Concordia University. As a femme growing up in a traditional Nigerian home in Canada, the dichotomy between the two cultures pushed them to pursue storytelling in the form of visual arts as a means of interpreting their experience. Emem strives to create work that challenges the notion of black portrayal, and femme representation, as well as explore the realms of Afrofuturism, surrealism and expanded cinema.

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Director Statement

Mango Lemon Soda is a film which expresses the Black femme perspective in relation to navigating interpersonal conflict and romance. Growing up, I did not see Black womxn in principal positions on Western screens, which made me feel alienated from the experience of feeling reliability towards characters on screen. This reality pushed me to embrace filmmaking as my main medium for artistic expression, and further to create Mango Lemon Soda as a first-time filmmaker. This film allowed me to not only highlight Blackness on screen but furthermore, work with an all-BIPOC crew; prioritising social sustainability in an industry where BIPOC filmmakers are increasingly underrepresented. Mango Lemon Soda is thoroughly a passion project born out of the need for warm and diversified representations of the Black femme experience.