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Project Link
https://f.io/3w9UkUUA

Out of the House

OUT OF THE HOUSE is a dark comedy like Ramy or Insecure, that follows Jana as she navigates how to be a “good Hindu” in a time when religion is not sexy. When Jana gets her period during the festival of Navarathiri, a boozy accident thwarts her plans to abide by traditional Hindu customs. Written by an Indian American immigrant with a passion for representing her culture with authenticity, nuance, and humor, this high-production-value short film is for anyone who feels caught between two worlds.

  • Brittani Ward
    Director
    Single Car Crashes
  • Vinithra Raj
    Writer
  • Vinithra Raj
    Producer
  • Brittani Ward
    Producer
    Debaters, Single Car Crashes, Desire Lines
  • Angie Gaffney
    Producer
    Debaters, Single Car Crashes, Desire Lines
  • Eugene Sun Park
    Producer
    Monuments, Signature Move, Killing Eleanor, Adult Children, Single Car Crashes
  • Vinithra Raj
    Key Cast
    "Jana"
  • Cordelia Dewdney
    Key Cast
    "Autumn"
  • Anagha Rajagopalan
    Key Cast
    "Meena"
  • Jahking Guillory
    Key Cast
    "Nayte"
  • Madhumathi Kumar
    Key Cast
    "Bhuma Aunty"
  • Rajagopalan Mahadevan
    Key Cast
    "Appa"
  • Lalitha Rajagopalan
    Key Cast
    "Amma"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 17, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    75,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Brittani Ward

Brittani is an entrepreneurial filmmaker. She worked as a Casting Director for over a decade, frequently collaborating with world-renowned talent. She then founded the Chicago-based acting studio Accomplished on Camera, where she personally trained hundreds of actors from 2019 to 2023. In 2022, she co-founded 521 Films, which propelled her into directing and producing.

Brittani's directorial debut—SINGLE CAR CRASHES, a feature film she wrote, produced, and cast—received the Best New Vision award at its world premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in Silicon Valley. The film also won Best Lead Actor at the Midwest Film Festival and was an official selection at the St. Louis International Film Festival. Freestyle is releasing the film on all VOD platforms in North America.

Alongside her producing partner at 521 Films, Angie Gaffney, Brittani produced the feature film DESIRE LINES, which won the NEXT Special Jury Award at its Sundance 2024 world premiere. She also produced the comedic proof-of-concept DEBATERS, starring J. Smith-Cameron and Kenneth Lonergan, which also premiered at Sundance in 2025.

Brittani graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Digital Cinema from DePaul University. She has been honored with an Alumna Spotlight profile in DePaul Magazine and recognized as an Alumna of Excellence by her high school. Brittani lives in Chicago, IL, where she was recently named to the prestigious Newcity Film 50—a Leaders of Chicago Culture publication.

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Director Statement

Vinithra (the creator of Out of the House) and I weren’t close when we decided to collaborate on this project. I had first met her in 2020 as tiny Zoom thumbnail in my virtual acting class. We hadn’t spoken in years when I saw on Instagram that her half-hour comedic pilot, Fake Hindu, was gaining traction in prestigious screenwriting competitions.

Though I barely knew her, her intelligence and artistic talent were always on display, and a wave of instinct hit me all at once—I needed read that script.

Fake Hindu immediately drew me into Vinithra's world. The dialogue was sharp and alive, the humor both biting and deeply relatable. Scenes that explored identity, family, and the unspoken tensions of cultural expectations had an effortless specificity that made them feel universally true. I was hooked. Vinithra and jumped into developing this short film version-- Out of the House-- conceptualized as a proof-of-concept for the larger series.

At the time, I was in a multi-year collaboration with Eugene Sun Park of ESP Media and Full Spectrum Features. When he read Out of the House, he greenlit and financed the project. Angie Gaffney and I had assembled an incredible team from our 521 Films feature projects, so Eugene knew we’d execute.

It was an honor to direct a story that is not my own—one outside my personal cultural experience, yet filled with themes I could connect to deeply. That’s the beauty of Universal Oneness in Hinduism: it invites everyone in.

Scouting The Prayer Hall became a defining moment for me. Vinithra’s father graciously took time out of his workday to guide me through the space, sharing the significance of each deity with such patience and generosity. At the end of our visit, the priest handed me prasad—offering a gesture of warmth and inclusion that mirrored a pivotal moment in our film. Watching that same exchange unfold on set, I felt the same emotion well up inside me. It was a quiet but profound reminder of why we tell stories in the first place.

Throughout the process, Vinithra’s family brought the film to life in ways that extended beyond the page. Her sister Anagha delivered her comedic moments with precision, while Lalitha ('Amma') gave a performance that has resonated with anyone who’s seen the film. Rajagopalan’s ('Appa') first time on camera was nothing short of remarkable—his natural comedic instincts shining through in every take. And all of them did this in a language that isn’t even their native Tamil.

This entire experience has been more than just making a film—it’s been about building something with people I admire. Vinithra and I have grown close in this process, and I’m so grateful for her trust and collaboration. The journey continues with my dear editor, Ana Christian, as we fine-tune every frame in editorial overtime. Soon, we’ll head into color sessions with the brilliant minds of C. Ryan Stemple and our Director of Photography, Chris Rejano, shaping the visual world of the film. And in the coming weeks, NoiseFloor will bring their expertise to craft the soundscape that completes this story.

Stay tuned—Out of the House is just getting started.