Experiencing Interruptions?

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.

  • Jacintha Charles
    Director
    First and Last, The Dance, DreamBox
  • Jacintha Charles
    Writer
    First and Last, The Dance, Betrayed, DreamBox
  • Emma Scully
    Writer
  • Kendra Goff
    Writer
  • Lisa Yadao
    Producer
    Roots and Wings, Pandemic Shorts, Stray, The Clock and the Compass,
  • Cassandra Lyback
    Key Cast
    "Iris / The Girl"
  • Sierra Anne Murphy
    Key Cast
    "The Hybrid"
  • Drake The Raven
    Key Cast
    "The Crow"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 28, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    17,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Phoenix Film Fesival
    Phoenix, Arizona
    United States
    August 12, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
    Iowa
    United States
    April 18, 2021
    Iowa
    Official Selection
  • Blackbird Film Festival 2021
    Cortland, 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 Festival
    Munich
    Germany
    January 7, 2021
    Germany
    Winner for Best Leading Actress
  • Another Hole In The Head Film Festival
    San Francisco
    United States
    December 11, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Stranger Days Independent Film Festival
    North Carolina
    United States
    December 19, 2020
    Best Fantasy Short Film, Best Cinematography
  • Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival
    Saskatoon
    Canada
    November 24, 2020
    Canadian
    Official Selection
  • Film Girl Film
    Milwaukee
    United States
    November 13, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Feratum International Fantastic Film Festival
    Mexico
    Mexico
    November 19, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Across The Globe Film Festival
    Stockholm, 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 Festival
    Sao Paulo
    Brazil
    September 8, 2020
    Latin America
    Honourable Mention for Best Fantasy Short Film
  • Austin After Dark Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    September 12, 2020
    Winner Best Fantasy Short Film, Best Director Finalist
  • Women's Independent Festival 2020
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Ethereal Horror Fest
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    October 24, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Directed By Women Turkey
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    September 10, 2020
    Best International Director Finalist
  • Women On The Dark Side Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 11, 2020
    Finalist
  • Dances With Films
    Los Angeles
    United States
    August 27, 2020
    Southern California
    Official Selection
  • Oregon Short Film Festival Summer 2020
    Oregon
    United States
    August 16, 2020
    Best Fantasy Short Finalist, Best Director Finalist
  • Coven Film Festival 2020
    San Francisco
    United States
    January 11, 2020
    North American
    Official Selection
  • New Filmmakers Los Angeles
    Los Angeles
    United States
    August 6, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Macabre Faire Film Festival
    Madison, Tennessee
    United States
    September 20, 2021
    Best Sound Design
  • Crested Butte Film Festival
    Crested Butte, Colorado
    United States
    September 24, 2021
  • International Diversity Film Festival
    Los Angeles, California
    United States
    August 25, 2021
    Best Short Film, Best Cinematography
  • Sene Film Festival
    Chepachet, Rhode Island
    United States
    October 21, 2021
  • Los Angeles Women in Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 14, 2021
  • Sleepy Hollow International Film Festival
    White Plains, New York
    United States
    October 15, 2021
  • Juggernaut Sci-Fi & Fantasy Film Festival
    Chicago, IL
    United States
    November 4, 2021
  • Female Filmmakers Fuse Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
Director Biography - Jacintha Charles

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.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

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.