The Gift
A girl with uncommonly large ears is bullied at school, but finds solace in her friendship with a crow in the woods. She feeds the bird everyday and in exchange it presents her with gifts, until a violent encounter at school causes their ritual to take an unsettling turn.
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Jacintha CharlesDirectorFirst and Last, The Dance, DreamBox
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Jacintha CharlesWriterFirst and Last, The Dance, Betrayed, DreamBox
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Emma ScullyWriter
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Kendra GoffWriter
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Lisa YadaoProducerRoots and Wings, Pandemic Shorts, Stray, The Clock and the Compass,
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Cassandra LybackKey Cast"Iris / The Girl"
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Sierra Anne MurphyKey Cast"The Hybrid"
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Drake The RavenKey Cast"The Crow"
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama
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Runtime:12 minutes 45 seconds
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Completion Date:June 28, 2019
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Production Budget:17,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Phoenix Film FesivalPhoenix, Arizona
United States
August 12, 2021
Official Selection -
Julien Dubuque International Film FestivalIowa
United States
April 18, 2021
Iowa
Official Selection -
Blackbird Film Festival 2021Cortland, New York
United States
June 17, 2021
Official Selection -
Short. Sweet. Film Fest 2021.Cleveland
United States
February 24, 2021
Outstanding Horror Film -
New Wave Short Film FestivalMunich
Germany
January 7, 2021
Germany
Winner for Best Leading Actress -
Another Hole In The Head Film FestivalSan Francisco
United States
December 11, 2020
Official Selection -
Stranger Days Independent Film FestivalNorth Carolina
United States
December 19, 2020
Best Fantasy Short Film, Best Cinematography -
Saskatoon Fantastic Film FestivalSaskatoon
Canada
November 24, 2020
Canadian
Official Selection -
Film Girl FilmMilwaukee
United States
November 13, 2020
Official Selection -
Feratum International Fantastic Film FestivalMexico
Mexico
November 19, 2020
Official Selection -
Across The Globe Film FestivalStockholm, Sweden and New York City
United States
Winner for Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Actress in a Leading Role. -
Cinefantasy - International Fantastic Film FestivalSao Paulo
Brazil
September 8, 2020
Latin America
Honourable Mention for Best Fantasy Short Film -
Austin After Dark Film FestivalAustin, Texas
United States
September 12, 2020
Winner Best Fantasy Short Film, Best Director Finalist -
Women's Independent Festival 2020Los Angeles
United States
Official Selection -
Ethereal Horror FestAustin, Texas
United States
October 24, 2020
Official Selection -
Directed By Women TurkeyIstanbul
Turkey
September 10, 2020
Best International Director Finalist -
Women On The Dark Side Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
October 11, 2020
Finalist -
Dances With FilmsLos Angeles
United States
August 27, 2020
Southern California
Official Selection -
Oregon Short Film Festival Summer 2020Oregon
United States
August 16, 2020
Best Fantasy Short Finalist, Best Director Finalist -
Coven Film Festival 2020San Francisco
United States
January 11, 2020
North American
Official Selection -
New Filmmakers Los AngelesLos Angeles
United States
August 6, 2021
Official Selection -
Macabre Faire Film FestivalMadison, Tennessee
United States
September 20, 2021
Best Sound Design -
Crested Butte Film FestivalCrested Butte, Colorado
United States
September 24, 2021 -
International Diversity Film FestivalLos Angeles, California
United States
August 25, 2021
Best Short Film, Best Cinematography -
Sene Film FestivalChepachet, Rhode Island
United States
October 21, 2021 -
Los Angeles Women in Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
October 14, 2021 -
Sleepy Hollow International Film FestivalWhite Plains, New York
United States
October 15, 2021 -
Juggernaut Sci-Fi & Fantasy Film FestivalChicago, IL
United States
November 4, 2021 -
Female Filmmakers Fuse Film FestivalLos Angeles
United States
Jacintha Charles is a Singaporean Filmmaker and Actress based in San Francisco, California.
Her move to the United States in 2004 broadened her opportunities as an Actress however, realizing that most of the roles for women and people of colour were limited or stereotyped, she started to shift her focus to crafting and telling stories that includes diversity in front of and behind the camera. Her works have received grants from the Singapore Film Commission and gone on to play at several film festivals. She has just completed her feature script, SINGAPURA, which is inspired by the race riots in Singapore in 1964.
Jacintha's goal is to continue to tell stories that can make a difference, create topics of discussion and hopefully, give a face and a voice to underrepresented community.
We wanted to deal with the subject of bullying and mental health that has been a stigma in society particularly with children at an impressionable age. In our film, our protagonist, Iris, has allowed herself an escape to which only she can take solace and comfort in.
We had purposefully limited our dialogue in the film to let the story, the action, the beautiful visuals (the majestic redwoods of Northern California) and haunting melodies do the work. We didn't want to draw conclusions with the film. Rather, we hope it would spark a conversation and encourage people to have honest discussions about the subjects at hand.
Our question to people would be - What and how do we teach our children about acceptance of different individuals and their uniqueness?
This project has been a labour of love for Co-Creators/Writers, Emma Scully, Kendra Goff and myself. We are proud of the fact that the leadership roles in various departments were headed by women. Diversity and inclusion is also strongly represented throughout the rest of our team - A true melting pot as we all came together to share the same vision and goal.
We are committed to supporting our fellow filmmakers of all genders and all races, and telling stories of all kinds from our unique points of view.