Private Project

Tristan & Kelly

While backpacking through Europe, an American tourist sprays a hapless British jobseeker with mace after he accidentally attacks her. They try to part ways but fate keeps throwing them together so they grab a drink and see where this connection takes them.

Starring Toby Sebastian (Game of Thrones, Trading Paint) and Sarah Ann Masse (We Are Thomasse, Have It All: The Movie), this award-winning short film is an unusual romantic comedy that gives us an intimate peek into what happens when the uncertainty of young adulthood combines with the complex dynamics of male/female relationships.

  • Sarah Ann Masse
    Director
    https://www.imdb.me/sarahannmasse
  • Nick Afka Thomas
    Director
    https://www.imdb.me/nickafkathomas
  • Sarah Ann Masse
    Writer
    https://www.imdb.me/sarahannmasse
  • Sarah Ann Masse
    Producer
    https://www.imdb.me/sarahannmasse
  • Toby Sebastian
    Key Cast
    "Tristan"
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4514519/
  • Sarah Ann Masse
    Key Cast
    "Kelly"
    https://www.imdb.me/sarahannmasse
  • Nick Afka Thomas
    Key Cast
    "Bartender"
    https://www.imdb.me/nickafkathoma
  • Jan Solberg
    Cinematogropher
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7224749/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
  • Ben Wicks
    1st AD
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6048467/?ref_=tt_ov_dr
  • Becky Gebhardt
    Original Music/Composer
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4692800/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
  • Jessica Campbell
    Editor
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6260752/?ref_=fn_nm_nm_16
  • Alistair Bathgate
    Sound Mixer
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7230961/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2
  • Amber Tunstall
    Assistant Camera
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8584830/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
  • Amelia Kildear
    Hairtsylist/Makeup Artist
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7657023/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
  • David Mcentee
    2nd Assistant Camera
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8882165/?ref_=fn_al_nm_6
  • Kevin Barber
    Colorist
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3517953/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr13
  • Mark Brennan
    Locations Manager
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4418523/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr14
  • Sarah Culverhouse
    Locations Manager
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7056174/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr15
  • Mark Maclaine
    Sound Editor
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1637060/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr9
  • Sebastian Joly
    Steadicam Operator
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10287487/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr10
  • George Heath
    Production Assistant
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8982052/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr16
  • Freya Lawrence
    Production Assistant
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8766893/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr18
  • Ben Hudson
    Production Assistant
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8799162/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr17
  • Rafael Gamboa
    Trailer Editor
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3648010/
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    romance, drama, romcom, dramedy, female
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 10, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Crown Heights Film Festival
    Brooklyn
    United States
    October 10, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Wallachia International Film Festival
    Wallachia
    Romania
    October 13, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Marina del Rey Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 18, 2019
    Official Selection / WINNER Best Short Romantic Comedy
  • Indie Visions Film Festival
    Tehran
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    October 20, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Artist Kabila Benefit Screening
    New York
    United States
    November 3, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Chicago REEL Shorts Film Fest
    Chicago
    United States
    November 8, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Imagine This Women's Film Festival
    Brooklyn
    United States
    November 9, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Female Filmmakers Fuse Film Festival
    Pasadena
    United States
    Official Selection/WINNER Best Writer - Sarah Ann Masse for Tristan & Kelly
  • Chambal International Film Festival
    Kota
    India
    January 18, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Under The Stars International Film Festival
    Bari
    Italy
    Official Selection, Monthly Honorable Mention, Finalist, Annual Honorable Mention Award
  • Changing Face International Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    Finalist
  • The People's Film Festival - Kino London
    London
    United Kingdom
    Semi-Finalist
  • Aphrodite Film Awards
    New York
    United States
    Official Selection
  • ZShorts International Film Festival
    Santa Barbara
    United States
    February 23, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Nevada Women's Film Festival
    Las Vegas
    United States
    March 17, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Ladies Rocking the Lens Online Film Festival for covid-19 Relief
    Brooklyn
    United States
    April 17, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
    Carmarthen Bay
    United Kingdom
    May 28, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival
    Ramsgate
    United Kingdom
    June 11, 2020
    Official Selection
  • BZN International Film Festival
    Bozeman
    United States
    August 27, 2020
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Sarah Ann Masse, Nick Afka Thomas

SARAH ANN MASSE is a creative woman on a mission; not only is she continuing the trend of breaking stereotypes and proving that females are funny, but she does so while drawing attention to the unhealthy social norms and boxes that our society places women in.
A classically trained actor, Sarah was educated and performed at The Atlantic Theater Company, The Williamstown Theater Festival, The American Shakespeare Theater, and The Upright Citizens Brigade. Her history in theater also includes directing children’s theater productions and assistant directing several of Shakespeare’s plays. In addition to starring in, and directing, dozens of viral comedy videos with her British-American married comedy duo, We Are Thomasse, she can be seen in an episode of the award winning, female driven web series “Reckless Juliets” which is available on Amazon Prime; Also streaming on Amazon Prime is Sarah's hysterical turn in Jason Mraz's “Have It All: The Movie” the only scripted segment of the film which she also produced and co-wrote; She has written, produced, co-directed, and stars in the award-winning short film “Tristan & Kelly” (winner: Best Short Romantic Comedy: Marina del Rey Film Festival '19 and Best Writer: Female Filmmaker's Fuse Film Festival '19) co-starring '”Games of Thrones”' Toby Sebastian; her British-American love triangle rom- com web series “S'N'M” which stars Downton Abbey's Matt Barber recently premiered; She is the voice of the wildly popular audiobook series “The Chronicles of Kerrigan“; Sarah is in pre-production for the new series “Pinch Me”; and will be starring in the indie horror feature “The Blackstone” which begins filming in 2020. In addition to her skills as an actor, Sarah is also a writer, producer, director, professional singer, and ran a successful theatre company in NYC.

Making up half of the hit British-American comedy duo We Are Thomasse (with her British husband Nick Afka Thomas), Sarah is also the producer behind all of their viral videos (most notably series like “Feminist Fairytales” and “Awkward Exes” and stand alone sketches such as “Diagnosis: Misogyny” and “Christmas Crime”) and their live sketch show at Second City Hollywood. She has produced, written, directed and acted with many well-known artists such as Grammy winner Jason Mraz, Tony nominee and “Hustlers” star Steven Boyer, and her fellow #MeToo movement Silence Breakers including a short film focusing on the bravery of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford which was covered nationally by ABC News. Sarah has recently completed writing her first feature, a female driven road- trip comedy, and is currently developing the feature version of her short “Tristan & Kelly” while pitching several sitcoms and TV series, organizing and writing for several remote writers rooms, and workshopping a new Broadway bound musical. She was also recently attached as co-writer for “R Culture”, a feature focusing on sexual violence and rape culture, drawing on her own experiences as a Weinstein survivor and activist.
Sarah is an outspoken voice against the patriarchy and rape culture, a tireless supporter of survivors of sexual assault and harassment, and is one of the many women to come forward about her abuse at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Her mission is to educate the public regarding consent, coercion, and the nature of trauma while encouraging other artists, and her industry as a whole to use their ability as storytellers to change the culture we live in to be more inclusive, representative, respectful, and dynamic for people of all ages, genders, races, nationalities, abilities, sexualities, and creeds. A recent Forbes profile details Sarah's work as an artist using positive comedy to advocate for fellow survivors of sexual violence and also focuses on the realities of being an artist with several invisible disabilities and chronic illness. And, as evidenced in her guest blog on The WRAP and this piece in

The Hollywood Reporter, Sarah has created Hire Survivors Hollywood in an effort to draw attention to the career retaliation that many Silence Breakers face.
In addition to becoming a regular contributor to Court TV's Weinstein Trial coverage she has also contributed to publications such as The Independent. Sarah works with many organizations such as Equal Rights Advocates (as a Hollywood Ambassador she helped pass AB9 into law in CA in 2019), ECHO Training, Time's Up (member of the Time's Up Entertainment Safety Working group), The Wrap Women, SAG-AFTRA (member of the LA Government Affairs and Public Policy Committee), Senator Brad Hoylman from New York (to pass The Adult Survivors Act) and Senator Alessandra Biaggi from New York (to pass the Child Victim's Act Fund), and fellow survivors and silence breakers to achieve safety, parity, and equity in her industry and beyond. Sarah frequently mentors and speaks at women's organizations and film focused events all over the United States in order to help elevate the voices of women in the industry.

NICK AFKA THOMAS' directing experience in the UK includes the first ever production of the musical "Over The Threshold" for the Pitch Perfect New Musicals showcase in London, a production of "Twelfth Night" set in 1910s Scotland, and directing Eddie Redmayne in "Jesus Christ Superstar". In the USA, and as the British half of married sketch group “We Are Thomasse”, Nick directs or co-directs with his wife Sarah Ann Masse on many of their dozens of popular and viral videos along with co-directing the festival bound short film "Tristan & Kelly".

As an actor in the UK, Nick trained in mime and Meisner and appeared in sitcoms for the BBC and the world's longest-running comedy show "The Newsrevue". After moving to America he appeared in shows such as "Royal Pains" and "The Mick", as well as voicing a major character in the "Game of Thrones" video game and starring in Studio + series "All You Need Is Me".

Nick is also a published author, has written a regular column for the Guardian newspaper, and has published a board game.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Over the past few years I have been, oftentimes inadvertently, digging deep into my experiences of what it means to be a woman. When I sat down to write a vehicle for myself, a reflection of this exploration, "Tristan & Kelly" flowed out of me in one sitting.

In the 24 hours before production began, my entire life turned upside down when I decided to go public with my story of being abused by Harvey Weinstein. The day before filming began, I shared my story with Variety and gave a live interview on BBC Radio. On the first day of filming I was fielding calls between takes from every national and international news outlet you could imagine. I could have very easily broken down and given up. But I didn't. I had this film to keep me going. While "Tristan & Kelly" may not feel like a traditional social impact film, it is very much an exploration of what it feels like to be a woman who is both owning her independence while also being impacted by the prior violence she has experienced in her life. Her previous experiences subconsciously influence how she reacts to the world around her and the people in it. Kelly, like many women with a history of abuse, expects violence from the world. But Kelly is also open: an adventurer, hopeful, strong. Like Kelly, my journey has often been one of fear borne out of violence but also like Kelly, I have stood in the face of fear and chosen to overcome it. By choosing adventure, art, creation, and connection, we refuse to let the violence of our past shape the rest of our lives. We create our own future. We tell our own stories.

This film, this nugget of sweetness and humor and genuine human connection, is something I am proud of. I am humbled by the talent that helped me create it and I am grateful to it for helping me achieve artistic success and fulfillment during one of the most difficult experiences of my life.

With gratitude,
Sarah Ann Masse