Things At Rest

Log Line: 'Things At Rest' is a celebratory reimagining of the black aesthetic inspired by matriarchs of classic African-American literature.

Tagline: A retelling of things from vintage Black literature

Premise: EveryTHING we consume teaches us to see

  • Desirae Lee
    Director
  • Desirae Lee
    Writer
  • Indigo's Daughters Media
    Produced by
  • Carlos Barrow
    Producer
  • Adiya Koram
    Key Cast
    "Lady In Green"
  • Llogan Peters
    Key Cast
    "Lady in Yellow"
  • Le'Asha Julius
    Key Cast
    "Lady in Brown "
  • Nia Rose
    Key Cast
    "Lady in Red and Orange "
  • Oluwaseun Ayomide Awoyemi
    Key Cast
    "Lady in Purple and Blue "
  • Shadé Roberts
    Key Cast
    "Pecola's Daughter"
  • Jordan Uwhubetine
    Key Cast
    "Cholly "
  • Grace Nambo
    Key Cast
    "Pecola "
  • Joseph Harden
    Key Cast
    "Soaphead Church "
  • Monique Barnes
    Key Cast
    "Sister of the Yam "
  • Zoe Davidson
    Key Cast
    "Beneatha "
  • Albert Collins
    Key Cast
    "Asagai"
  • Stephen Omoyeni
    Key Cast
    "Uncle Hammer "
  • Tony Smith
    Key Cast
    "Tracey"
  • Sade Smith
    Key Cast
    "Cassie "
  • Angela Broughton
    Key Cast
    "As Herself"
  • Vinessia Fisher Hankins
    Key Cast
    "As Herself"
  • Felicia Griffin
    Key Cast
    "As Herself"
  • April McReynolds
    Key Cast
    "As Herself"
  • Carmen Stanley
    Assistant Director
  • Zoe Davidson
    Director of Photography
  • Bria Granville
    1st Assistant Camera
  • Manuel Pedraza
    Unit Photography / 2nd Assistant Camera
  • Oluwaseun Ayomide Awoyemi
    Production Designer
  • Desireè Van Frederic
    Costume Designer
  • Danie Etienne
    Choreographer
  • Logan Smith
    Makeup Artist
  • Lauryn Scriber
    Makeup Artist
  • Cassandra Castelant
    Editor
  • Meagan Sims
    Production Assistant
  • Taariq Saadiq
    Production Assistant
  • Gabrielle Johnson
    Unit Photographer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Adaptation, Poetry, Experimental, Installation, Art House, Romance, documentary
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 25 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED 4.5k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Howard University
Director Biography - Desirae Lee

Desirae (Des) Lee is an Alumna of the University of Florida where she completed a unique program infusing photojournalism with innovation. During her time in Gainesville, Des co-founded a monthly community showcase for POC artists called DOPENmic. She participated in UF’s Campus Movie Fest for two consecutive years. Her 2018 experimental directorial debut "HE(A)RE" was featured in the Lycoming College museum showcase "Blurred Expectations".

Des is currently pursuing her MFA in film at Howard University. During her time studying film, she has written and directed several shorts, including "We've Got the Summer" which was awarded the Paul Robinson Award in Graduate Excellence. She was also selected for a fellowship with Blackhouse Foundation at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Her experience includes media internships with a variety of companies including; The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center, NBCUniversal, Brave New Voices, and Long Story Short Media.

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Director Statement

I strive to create art which celebrates vulnerability, finds beauty amongst the mundane, and portrays diverse people of color with empathy. Within my work I appraise blackness as a holistic experience; a gift and a challenge that demands preservation. I encourage the youth to look to previous generations as an inspiration and our elders to treat the youth as a non-renewable resource. This juxtaposition fuels my fixation on the tricky emotion of nostalgia. I believe womanhood is a complex blessing and I’ve found power in femininity that shows through my work.

Things At Rest is an amalgamation of a blossomed poet, an observant photographer and an avid reader. Being all three, I’ve come to learn the premise of this project to be true; everything we consume teaches us to see. In designing this project I do not take for granted the difficulty in the nature of conveying a singular tone. So, I revolve rapidly around many— including regality, sensuality, and the rapturous space between reality and dreams.

This project serves as a study in the technique of modern adaptation as well as imitation. Things At Rest pays homage to the words that have sculpted and continue to sculpt a culture. This means reading between the lines, seeing where they take you and translating details to screen.