Essentially Amy
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2022
United States
15 mins
English, Mandarin Chinese
NYC Premiere
Short Film Competition
| Ari Groobman | |
| Mitchell Schwartz, Ben O'Keefe, Ryan Ramsey | |
| Stacy Chu (Amy), XiaoZhe (Ping) Liu (Mom) | |
| Implied Violence |
Amy is a young Chinese-American girl working at her local grocery store during the height of the pandemic. Amy must confront growing racism towards Asian-Americans, while at home, she must mitigate her mother’s expectations and personal bias towards African-Americans. After a brutal assault, Amy and her family must reevaluate their perceptions, and Amy must come to terms with who she really is and what she really wants.
About the Director
Ari Groobman is a writer and director living in Los Angeles, California. He loves to tell bittersweet stories blended with dark comedy and horror to highlight culturally diverse journeys surrounding mental health and identity. Born in Colorado, Ari comes from a mixed heritage family. He graduated as an engineer and Boettcher Scholar, however, his undying love for film and television brought him into the industry. Ari has resided and worked in China, Brazil, and Israel.
Reviews
Creator + Unveils Inaugural Class Of Emerging BIPOC Filmmakers For Its Diversity Focused Short Film Fund ‘Flip The Script’ – Deadline, by Valerie Complex
Photos (Click on Photo to View)
Awards
2022 Los Angeles International Film Festival – Film Director’s Choice Short Film
2022 Sherman Oaks Film Festival – Best Lead Actress – Short Film, Outstanding Short Film – Drama, Outstanding Director – Drama,
Outstanding Performance, Cast – Drama
