Private Project

Patriot Day

As tragedy strikes down the street in Washington DC on 9/11/2001, 11 year old, stoic Jamila navigates her pre-teenage life and waits for her mom to come home from the Pentagon so that they can celebrate her birthday.

  • Nailah Robinson
    Writer
  • Nailah Robinson
    Director
  • Nicole Magabo
    Producer
    Family Tree
  • Christina Jobe
    Producer
  • The London Film School
    Producer
  • Kaylin Ali
    Key Cast
    "Jamila"
  • Zsa Zsa Hopkins
    Key Cast
    "Akilah"
  • Marcellus Shepard
    Key Cast
    "Ibrahim"
  • Jacqueline O'Day
    Key Cast
    "Auntie Mable"
  • Stephanie Parker
    Key Cast
    "Mrs. Johnson"
  • Micky Montoya
    Cinematographer
  • Emily Marquet
    Production Designer
  • William Michael Anderson
    Sound Recordist
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, historical fiction
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 25, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Raw
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Nailah Robinson

Nailah Robinson is multi-hyphenate filmmaker with a passion for intersectional storytelling. Originally from the D(istrict of Columbia) M(aryland) V(irgina) by way of North Carolina, her fervor for stories has led her all over the world because she believes experience and interpersonal interaction are the foundations for all great stories. Robinson recently completed her MA at The London Film School, where she specialized as a writer-director and editor. Her work has played in various festivals around the world. She is a 2020 Project Involve Editing Fellow who currently resides in Los Angeles.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Growing up, my America was the predominantly black towns of Prince George’s County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC. I wasn’t aware that meant anything specific until I went to a summer camp where a little girl told me she couldn’t play with me because I was black. That encounter marked the beginning of my awareness of race as a separating factor in America. That first feeling of degradation took me down a path where I couldn’t connect with being American. So in 2016 I left. It was only then that I reconciled how important being American is to my identity. For the first time, I realized that I love my country; we have a complicated relationship though.

Fast-forward to 2019 and my Americanness was more complicated than ever. Hate-filled speech and the subsequent divide it causes has made it clear to me that we need empathy and understanding for those who are different from us. “Patriot Day” was born from that space. It seeks to bridge an empathy gap by putting us in a perspective that is not often represented in mainstream media. It asks us to take a step back and realize that the group that was villainized post 9/11 are just as American as we are. My hope is that in this politically divisive time, we can realize that just like before, the people we are being asked to otherize share our struggles and our identity. This film is my letter of love to those who identify as others, my hometown, and my Americanness.