Private Project

The Building Blocks of a Bridge

Logline:
When a series of voicemails from her long-absent mother forces a young architect to confront her past, she must choose between maintaining her walls and laying new foundations.

Synopsis:
One year into her corporate life, a 22-year-old navigates the monotony of daily routines—commutes, clutter, and solitude. When her mother’s voice reappears through a series of voicemails, she initially remains unmoved. But as the messages persist, subtle shifts in her behavior begin to surface.

The Building Blocks of a Bridge is a meditative short film about estrangement, emotional inertia, and the slow, quiet beginnings of healing. Sometimes, reconciliation starts not with a grand gesture—but with a single, small step.

  • Vidur Bahl
    Writer
  • Vidur Bahl
    Director
  • Vidur Bahl
    Producer
  • Harsh Pundit
    Creative Producer
  • Fou Gharib
    Key Cast
  • Christine Miller
    Key Cast
  • Brij Parekh
    Director of Photography
  • Boobalan Ramesh
    Editor
  • Aaromal Shilen
    Original Score and Sound Design
  • Audrey Vaver
    Script Supervisor
  • Sarah Sewell
    Production Design
  • Anuragini Mediga
    Gaffer
  • Menna Karadanova
    Assistant Camera
  • Mohit Bhomia
    Assistant Camera
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Slice of Life
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 15, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    650 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - The New School
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • UK Asian Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    May 2, 2026
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Croatian International Film Festival
    Sibenik
    Croatia
    July 25, 2026
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • FINE CUTS
    New York
    United States
    May 4, 2026
    Winner
  • Fallbrook Bonsall International Film Festival
    Fallbrook
    United States
    October 4, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Tamizhagam International Film Festival
    Chennai
    India
    Best International Short Film
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 8
    Online
    United Kingdom
    August 11, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Cinema Kinare
    New York
    United States
    May 29, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Tompkins Square Public Library Student Film Screening
    New York
    United States
    June 7, 2025
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Vidur Bahl

Vidur Bahl is a filmmaker and photographer based in New York City, originally from New Delhi.

His work centers on emotionally resonant, character-driven narratives that explore the quiet intensity of everyday life. Whether through film or still imagery, Vidur seeks out stories rooted in memory, silence, and transformation.

His latest short film, The Building Blocks of a Bridge, tells the story of a young woman navigating reconnection with her estranged mother — told entirely through voicemails.

Vidur holds a Master’s in Media Studies from the Parsons School of Design, a Bachelor's Degree in Integrated Design and Media from NYU and has previously worked across both documentary and narrative formats. He is drawn to intimate storytelling that encourages audiences to pause, reflect, and feel.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film was born from a quiet ache — the space between someone reaching out and the silence that answers back.

The Building Blocks of a Bridge explores the long shadow of estrangement, and the small, slow moments that can begin to mend it. As a storyteller, I’m drawn to the tension between emotional restraint and emotional need — the unsaid words, the missed calls, the subtle shifts that signal change.

With this film, I wanted to create a meditative portrait of a woman carrying the weight of the past while navigating the demands of the present. Through repetition, voicemails, and ordinary moments, we watch as the walls she’s built begin — slowly — to shift.

I hope audiences see themselves in her hesitation, her hope, and her quiet courage.