What We Are (short film)

Rowan takes his regular bus commute to work and sees a young woman he’s attracted to at the bus shelter, her name is Olivia. Rowan approaches her and introduces himself to her.
As the two become closer and their relationship deepens, Rowan discovers Olivia has sickle cell disease, a condition he has witnessed his younger brother suffer with since he was a child. Rowan is left in a conflicted battle between choosing to continue the relationship with Olivia or removing himself from it.

  • Fey Okege
    Director
    vienna (short film)
  • Fey Okege
    Writer
    vienna (short film)
  • Kelly Emelle
    Producer
  • Fey Okege
    Producer
    vienna (short film)
  • Nobuse jnr Uwaifo
    Key Cast
    "Rowan"
    Bail, Sucka Punch, Talia Versus
  • Christa King
    Key Cast
    "Olivia"
    unaware, the secret, flagged
  • Kieran James
    Key Cast
    "Chris"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    drama, romance
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 12, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Fey Okege

my name is Fey Okege, I am of british/nigerian descent and consider myself to be a lover of films and enjoy creating them, I started off as an actress studying performing arts in south Essex college, trained in identity school of acting and participated in few roles, since 2018 after directing/producing my first short drama film called Vienna I realized my purpose is to be a filmmaker, leading behind the camera and bringing people together to make insightful films, this role brings me so much joy. I have been in pursuit of this passion for filmmaking/ storytelling and hope to continue to make more films and inspire others. In 2020 I set up a production group based in the UK called A New Nation Entertainment where we make narrative films, look out for more projects!

Vienna (short film)- 2018
What We are (short film)- 2021

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Director Statement

What We Are

The short story covers the important topic of health and how it can impact a relationship.
When meeting a potential mate people initially start off being attracted to the surface level of their counterparts but when the fleeting feeling of the honeymoon phase settles the real questions of health are often overlooked from physical, mental to even genetics.

What we are touches on the topic of sickle cell, an inherited red blood cell disorder that predominantly affects people from the black and Asian community. The two main characters are Black-British people living in London, UK. One of the characters is a carrier of a sickle cell and quietly suffers from the struggles of it while the other has the sickle cell trait but understands the traumas of those living with it.

Sickle cell is often stigmatized in the black community which is why some people do not wish to disclose if they have it possibly for fear of being rejected, being alone, people not understanding or lacking awareness on this topic.

Normalizing any health conversation in general when entering a relationship no matter how awkward or challenging it is encourages transparency. Each person involved gets the clarity they need and have the right to make a decision if they are willing to stay and deal with the health challenges their partner and themselves will face or leave from that situation.