Private Project

June

June is a gas-station attendant, withered by the mundaneness of her central-valley life. She has recently come out as bisexual, much to the confusion of her manager Claudia who wants the best for her favorite (and only) employee. When June’s childhood best friend, Nia, wanders into the gas station unexpectedly, they recall a memory of a moment that changed the course of their lives – for better and for worse. Through reconnecting with Nia, June realizes that her actions, words, and emotions do have an impact. This discovery hurdles June into a long awaited late-bloomed coming of age.

  • Lauren Stevens
    Director
  • Julia Ribas
    Writer
  • Julia Ribas
    Producer
  • Karima Karkori
    Producer
  • Amy Lyn Williams
    Producer
  • Lauren Stevens
    Producer
  • Joanna Gaspar
    Producer
  • Camino Production Company
    Producer
  • Julia Ribas
    Key Cast
    "June"
  • Nemi Brooks
    Key Cast
    "Nia"
  • Rae Rodriguez
    Key Cast
    "Claudia"
  • Ziggy Jaz Van Koeverden
    Crew
  • Ziggy Jaz Van Koeverden
    Production Crew
  • Joanna Gaspar
    Production Crew
  • Christian Del Rio
    Production Crew
  • Karli Gregory
    Production Crew
  • DJ McLaughlin
    Production Crew
  • Bradley Wirtz
    Production Crew
  • Isabella Durand
    Production Crew
  • Jasmine Alkire
    Production Crew
  • Justin Marquez
    Post-Production
  • Ale Amato
    Color
  • Kiarah Davis
    Original Score
  • Ly Yang
    Production Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, LGBT+, Latinx, Queer
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 16 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lauren Stevens

Lauren Stevens (she/her) is an LA based director and producer apart of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television’s graduating class of 2023. While at UCLA she started her own production company, Out of the Blue, where she directed and produced a film adaptation of “The Last Five Years” and produced “The American Iconography Project” and “The Seagull”. Through the UCLA Capstone Initiative she produced and directed a film adaptation of “Next to Normal”. Lauren has most recently produced and directed the short film “June” with Camino Productions and is thrilled to be telling authentic queer and female driven stories with a group of like-minded artists.

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Director Statement

A note from the writer, Julia Ribas:

June is a queer bilingual comedy which explores the intersectionality of culture, language, religion, and sexuality. This film is very dear to me, not only because of the story, but because of the people who brought it to life. I am thrilled to present this with Lauren Stevens, a close friend and brilliant director who believed in this project from the first draft. Our production team, Karima Karkori, Amy Lyn Williams, and Joanna Gaspar have been running this marathon with me (and carrying me some of the way). Our cinematographer, Ziggy Van Koeverden has been my ride-or-die DP; he truly makes the impossible possible. Justin Marquez, our dedicated editor has lifted this project to its full potential, leaving no stone unturned. And of course, the color team at Primary who made our dreams come true, with Ale Amato as the colorist, assisted by Matthew Stepanek, David Oh, and Philip Dystant, and color producer Alex Zhao.