Thanks for your interest in collaborating! We would love to feature you as an extra in this magical short film. You can read more about the inspiration and vision for the film and our award-winning artistic team below. If you're interested in collaborating with us, please fill out the form! A member of our production team will reach out soon with more details. Questions? Check out the FAQ section and e-mail us with further inquiries at derivecasting@gmail.com.
WELCOME to the CREATIVE TEAM of
Dérive is about a queer book publisher who embarks on a Surrealist odyssey–a dérive–throughout NYC to release her ex-lover's ashes at Coney Island, where she encounters an enclave of off-season circus performers who help her ritualize her grief and find catharsis through whimsy. The film is a visual treatise on the art of wandering and a cinematic love letter to the oddball characters, serendipitous encounters, and hidden places that make NYC such a spectacular city in which to wander. As filmmakers, we seek to counteract the alienation and fear induced by the pandemic by imagining a society in which spontaneous connections with strangers in public spaces serves as a catalyst for individual and collective healing. Stylistically, the film is Wes Anderson meets Amélie meets High Maintenance with a splash of Fellini thrown in for good measure: whimsical, witty, heartwarming and surreal.
ABOUT THE FILM
THE THEORY OF DERIVE
French for "drift," the dérive was posited by philosopher Guy Debord as a revolutionary strategy for the DISRUPTION and LIBERATION of everyday life by embarking on spontaneous experimental journeys through urban landscapes. Debord was a founding member of Situationist International, a movement of artists, intellectuals, and political theorists derived from Dada and Surrealism. We think those weirdos were onto something!
THE VISION
MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM
Lianne Sonia
WRITER & DIRECTOR
Lianne (she/her) is a filmmaker, theater creator, and experiential storyteller whose work invokes a more expansive sense of possibility through its flirtation with the sublime and the surreal. She was a Drama League Director's Fellow and has worked at Berkeley Rep, A.C.T., Yale Repertory Theater, Rutgers, and the Hangar Theater. She was also a creative consultant for the producers of Sleep No More, a Project Coordinator at the Foundation for Contemporary Art in Accra, Ghana, and the Program Director at Arte Hacía la Vida in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she lived and worked as a director for several years. Curiosity is her cartographer, humor is her guru, mystery is her muse.
Ellie Jackson
PRODUCER
Ellie Jackson (she/her) is a New York based performer and producer whose film experience ranges from spearheading indie projects to supervising $500K commercial shoots. Ellie earned a degree in theater through studies at the University of Southern California and the British American Drama Academy in London. As an actor and producer, Ellie seeks to develop and participate in projects that share truthful human stories. She is also the Co-Founder of The Neighborhood Theatre Project, a 501c3 non-profit theatre company dedicated to creating original verbatim theatre through a process rooted in interviews and conversations.
Ludovica Isidori
CINEMATOGRAPHER
An Italian cinematographer with a fiery passion for stories with an intimate tone and a social impact, Ludovica holds an MA in Cinema and TV studies from IULM, Milano and an MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute, where she received the Olivadotti Scholarship for craftsmanship excellence. Working with Franesco Zanot, a photography curator for FORMA, and Gianguido Rossi, a fashion photographer, refined Ludovica’s eye and aesthetic. Her work has screened and won awards at Tribeca, SXSW, Slamdance, HBO, Diversity in Cannes and other international film festivals, and has streamed on Hulu and Lifetime. She is a Film Independent Cinematography Fellow and a member of Free The Work, the ICFC and Women in Media.
FAQs
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Will I get paid? A wonderful question. We would LOVE to be able to pay all participants, but unfortunately, this is a micro-budget indie production and we simply don't have the funds. Even the professional artists involved are donating their time and resources to make this film happen.
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Is the film going to suck since the budget is so small? Hell no! Did you read our bios? We're indie, not amateur. Some incredible films have been shot on a shoestring budget. Our vision is strong, our talent is fierce. We hope to premiere the film at preeminent festivals like Sundance and Tribeca.
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What's in it for me? Aside from the unique experience of being part of a professional film shoot and getting featured on the big screen, you'll meet interesting people and have a great time! We'll feature you in the credits, invite you to our cast party, and lavish you with thanks and new friends. We're all about building community around art - that's the beauty of film.
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What is the time commitment? We will need you for a few hours ONE day between May 11-17.
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What else makes this film so awesome? In addition to its heartwarming story, witty dialogue, and stunning visuals, this is a female led production, which is especially relevant considering only 24% of films produced in 2022 were directed by women!