Heartstorm
A young woman goes on a cathartic journey through memory and imagination inspired by the performances at an open mic. A self-love story of discovery, acceptance, and the transformative power of art.
Lucia is a closet poet, so when she attends an open mic for the first time and is faced with signing up to perform, she declines. She opts instead to just take it all in as an audience member and throughout the course of the evening her memory is triggered by the performances. Lucia is launched into a series of sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking flashbacks in which she is forced to examine her views on family, love, and queerness.
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Jerry White Jr.Director
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Arianna BascoWriter
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Jerry White Jr.Writer
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Arianna BascoProducerFabulous Filipino Brothers, My First Horror Film, Glimmer
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Jerry White Jr.Producer20 Years of Madness
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Ron Erickson IIProducerFabulous Filipino Brothers, My First Horror Film
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Magdalena ValenciaKey Cast"Lucia"
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Arianna BascoKey Cast
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Christopher AguilarKey Cast
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Sebastian SozziKey Cast
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Aurora BascoKey Cast
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Renee ChatmanKey Cast
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Madeline DimayugaKey Cast
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Tu Ben NgoKey Cast
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Austin HowellKey Cast
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Project Type:Feature
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Genres:Drama, Musical, Experimental
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Runtime:1 hour 27 minutes
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Completion Date:October 28, 2024
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Country of Origin:United States, United States
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Country of Filming:United States, United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:1.89∶1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Festical AngaelicaPasadena, California
United States
Official Selection -
Bare Bones International Film & Music FestivalMuskogee, Oklahoma
United States
Oklahoma Premiere
Office Selection Virtual -
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of OregonEugene, Oregon
United States
March 9, 2025
Oregon Premiere
Audience Choice Award For Best Feature Narrative -
Durango Independent Film FestivalDurango, Colorado
United States
March 6, 2025
Colorado Premiere
Official Selection -
Golden State Film FestivalHollywood, California
United States
February 18, 2025
Hollywood Premiere
Official Selection -
Filam Creative Film FestivalLos Angeles, California
United States
November 8, 2024
World Premiere
Special Selection
I've been making videos for most of my life now—VHS, Hi-8, Super-8, D8, HD, 4K, etc.—and while the technology has changed, my reasons for sticking with this life have remained pretty much the same. I love creative collaboration, I love unconventional storytelling, I care about expression, problem-solving, making memories with people I care about, and exploring real and fictional worlds.
I'm a student of DIY guerilla filmmaking as well as a USC School of Cinematic Arts MFA grad. I produced a feature documentary called 20 Years of Madness that opened Slamdance 2015 (and won an Honorable Mention). After many years of striving and hoping and dreaming, I'm excited and proud to have directed my first feature film, Heartstorm.
I'm drawn to niche creative subcultures, outsider artists, and passionate amateurs. People who make things because they enjoy it or somehow feel compelled. I love the weird ones and count myself among them.
I began attending and performing at open mics as a teenager in the early nineties. I was fascinated with all of the characters in the room, a diverse group of men and women of all ages, exposing their darkest thoughts, secrets, and traumas through poetry, spoken word, and music. These were formative experiences and as I've grown and traveled I've continued attending open mics, but have only rarely encountered anything as raw and meaningful as those early mics.
Eight years ago I went to an open mic in Los Angeles that would change my life and eventually lead to this film. This time I was one of the older folks, and while the faces and places were different, the authenticity and depth of experience was what I had been searching for. I became part of this LA community of poets, musicians, storytellers, comedians, and other performing artists. Arianna Basco, open mic host and holder of space, and I wrote the screenplay for Heartstorm based on a mix of our experiences merged with the poetry and music from folks in our community.
My goal with this film is to explore this subculture through the eyes of a newcomer and show how performances and creative vulnerability can literally change you. It was important to me to capture the energy of these spaces as a narrative film instead of a documentary, so we can see experience that inner journey. There is a magic that can happen in these spaces, I still feel it when I go and that's what I want to share with this film.