Roadwash

Roadwash is a surrealist take on ecological disaster. In a haphazard encounter between a nameless traveling barista, a Karen-turned-vagabond, and a skeptical golden retriever, we see glimpses of desertification in a climate-starved American Midwest. As Roadwash contemplates a future that the Global South is already confronting, our storytellers dwell on what it means to live in denial of the future. With climate change looming, Roadwash is a prescient character study and an American Western turned upside-down, with queer & trans storytellers at the helm of its writing, animation, and voice acting.

  • Hari Leigh
    Director
    Troll, Driverless, Sanjay & Craig, Tigtone
  • Lily Danielle Iserson
    Writer
  • Mindy Strouse
    Producer
  • August Black
    Key Cast
    "Apollo"
    Tell Me Why (xbox)
  • Logan Nyman
    Key Cast
    "Man"
  • Hari Leigh
    Key Cast
    A Dirty Shame
  • Syd Miller
    Animator
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    9,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Hari Leigh

Hari Leigh is a female-identifying actor/writer/director based in Los Angeles. She has been creating comedic work since 2002. Her 2017 short film "Troll" had its international premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and was featured at Maryland Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortsFest. It premiered online as a Vimeo Staff Pick. This year, she was a top-ten finalist for a Final Draft Fellowship.

As an actor, she has been featured in John Waters' A Dirty Shame and Key & Peele. She is currently directing voice and motion capture for AAA video games, where she expresses her passion for working with actors and storytelling. She is also directing an animated short and a music video for artist Mary Lattimore.

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Director Statement

The origins of the project began with a desire to collaborate with my cousin, Lily who wrote a short story that inspired me. I felt connected to the deep loneliness and uncertainty her characters embody. I wanted to create something where I could give opportunities to herself, and other queer young artists whose voices I wanted to amplify. When I was younger I would have loved for someone to hear my ideas and invest time and money into helping me make something that would become a solid body of work. I had to create that for myself over many long committed years. I am grateful for the abilities of my collaborators and excited to share their talents with the world. This piece means a lot to me as climate change is an ever present concern and anxiety. I spend a lot of time imagining the future my children will inherit and these two characters drift through that landscape to find momentary connection, which makes my heart ache a little.