Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Esther’s Choice
Genre: Short, Drama, Romance
Date: 2020
Director: Alia Azamat Ashkenazi
Executive Producer: Victor Ashkenazi
Producer: François Arnaud, Alia Azamat Ashkenazi
Writer: Alia Azamat Ashkenazi
Cinematographer: Guillermo Cameo
Composer: Casey Mullen, Mariam Khayretdinova
Production Company: Babai Films
Budget: $40,000 (estimated)
Color: Yes
Runtime: 23 minutes
Screening Format: 1.85 : 1
World Premiere: Chelsea Film Festival
Awards: Winner Best U.S. Narrative Film & Best Cinematography Awards (Venice Shorts)
– Official Selection of the Paris Independent film festival
– Official Selection of the Santa Fe film festival
– Official Selection of the Chelsea Film Festival
– LA FEMME Film Festival
– Big Apple Film Festival in 2020.
Website
Uzbekistan-born and Russia-raised Screenwriter and Director Alia Azamat Ashkenazi just made a striking narrative directing debut with Esther’s Choice short film, hailed by audiences as “a tender but fraught journey,” “hauntingly beautiful,” and a “very special movie with a fantastic cast and superb director.”
Set in a nondescript big city, the film is centered on Esther (Emma Orelove), a film Composer going through a dry spell while her relationship with Michael (François Arnaud) gets to the next level, and they move in together. After a period of artistic frustration and “not hearing anything but silence,” Esther discovers Michael’s secret stash with the belongings of his ex-girlfriend (Mary Leest). The jealousy-fueled visions ironically turn The Ex into Esther’s new Muse, and by the end of the film, she discovers just how far she can go to maintain her creativity.
Soulfully scored, the film’s intimate and meaningful cinematography featuring some arrestingly innovative shots is driven by emotion and a sense of dark magic pertinent to the story of an Artist and their Love.
A masterclass in visual storytelling, the film is 80% silent, highlighting a career-shaping performance by Emma Orelove. Outstanding production values and a gut-punching ending of the film make it an entertaining and memorable romance thriller not to be missed.
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Alia Azamat Ashkenazi (AAA): A short drama with elements of magical realism, Esther’s Choice is a story about Esther, a film composer on a dry spell who finds inspiration in an unusual and possibly dangerous Muse.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing, and sales?
Alia Azamat Ashkenazi (AAA): Esther’s Choice had its World premiere simultaneously at two festivals (Chelsea Film Festival in NYC and LA FEMME Film Festival in Hollywood) on October 15, 2020. It was nominated for Petite Grand Prix at CFF, as well as for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both festivals run virtually, and Esther’s Choice was viewed 293 times at CFF, making it No. 6 most-watched film among 130 films selected.
Esther’s Choice was also selected to screen at Big Apple Film Festival in November 2020 and was nominated for Best U.S. and International Narrative/Drama Film, as well as Best Female Director, Best First Time Filmmaker, and Best Cinematographer at Venice Shorts 2020.
The official teaser trailer for Esther’s Choice is a short film written and directed by Alia Azamat Ashkenazi. Starring François Arnaud, Emma Orelove and Mary Leest.
Still doing rounds in the festival circuit, Esther’s Choice is awaiting International and European premieres, as well as premieres and screenings in Russia and Asia.
With a budget of nearly $50,000, the film was self-financed by the Writer-Director who also served as a Producer under Babai Films slate. Shot on digital and in color, it had its World and US Premiere in October 2020 and is still on a festival circuit. On the film’s Instagram, you can find behind-the-scenes photos and insightful advice from its creator.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
AAA: A short drama with elements of magical realism, Esther’s Choice is a story about Esther, a film composer going through a dry spell. She moves in with her boyfriend Michael only to find out that he still keeps his Ex-girlfriend’s belongings in his closet. What follows is an emotional roller coaster of a film exploring the great lengths an Artist chooses to go to for the sake of inspiration.
Development & Financing?
AAA: I was a Script Supervisor on a feature starring Annabella Sciorra back in March 2019, and Guillermo Cameo, a brilliant Cinematographer I’ve worked with on a short film many years ago, was a Gaffer on that feature. He came up to me at lunch one day and said “write something, I wanna shoot for you.” I came home that day and started thinking, what kind of story I can tell in my apartment with a minimal cast (no-budget filmmaking 101!) I wrote the script on my phone traveling to and from the set on that film.
Two months passed and I ended up scripting a short film with my lead François Arnaud. At that point, I had a female lead in mind — Emma Orelove, who I basically wrote the script for, but only a shortlist of male actors to reach out to; François was one of them. Seeing him in action was better than any audition, so I held my breath, sent him the script at wrap, and he loved it! That’s when it all became serious. Having a name Actor attached and interested was very inspiring and kind of nudged me to start thinking of actually producing the piece. François was only available for a short period of time in August, so I had to act fast.
The film is self-financed. The initial production budget was $35,000, and we actually went under budget — my little Producer’s win! At the moment, after all, post-production work and festival fees, we’re close to $50,000. I optioned out two scripts prior to that, so I could afford some production value and actually decently pay my crew of 30 people. I waited 5 years working alongside amazing Directors as a Script Supervisor, only to learn the craft deeper, and feel confident/experienced enough that I could direct a narrative film. Before that, I only made hybrid docs and directed theater in Russia, and then pivoted to Screenwriting upon moving to New York.
Production?
AAA: After François came on board, as luck would have it, my husband and I sold our apartment that I initially wrote the script for. We ended up finding a rental that fits even better in the world of Esther’s Choice, so here’s to happy accidents. I’ve rebuilt the entire place with my Production Designer Carlie Condemi, painted the walls according to my ideal color palette, bought new furniture, dressed the rooms, found pertinent artworks… Having access to the house of your character is such a big advantage. I found myself walking around the place and finding shots and frames that later became the key to the film’s aesthetic and themes.
Having hands-on experience in productions of all budgets, I knew how to write a compelling story for cheap, so it all just came down to wrangling everyone’s busy schedules and meticulously prepping. Guillermo and I are both prep-junkies, my Director’s book was 40 pages long, and his lookbook was about the same. We’ve spent a good 2 weeks just shot-listing and brainstorming composition and references, so on set we barely talked. We’d just lock eyes from time to time, and he immediately would know what I don’t like and would fix it. Finding that perfect teammate match who supports/enhances your vision is crucial. Guillermo is a genius of Light, and by merging my composition and his camera movement ideas, I think we were able to achieve a pretty unique visual language of the film that told the story on its own. I left many clues in the art on the walls and set design in the frames, and now many people after watching the film a couple of times, notice it and reach out to me with their theories about what it all means — I can’t imagine a greater compliment as a visual storyteller.
As far as editing, all was easy and fast. I wrote the script as an editor, with all the coverage “on page” in strategically placed action language. So my editor Michael Pizzano assembled it all by the script, and then I gave him notes on some cutaways or shots when I’d liked to stay longer on a character even though they’re not the one speaking, etc. As a Script Supervisor on set, you frequently fight for giving editorial more shots and options, but personally, I hate overshooting and giving the post too much coverage. I think it only muds the water and diffuses the initial vision of the Director, so there was actually not much to play within the edit (sorry Mikey!)
Unfortunately, to make our days, I had to entirely cut a storyline of hand inserts that would start each scene (transitions is what you must think of when you write the script, not when you’re in the post-room already!), so I found myself brainstorming the new transitions on set, it was stressful and with some of them I’m not completely satisfied, but that is something only my Editor and I would know. You must pick your fights, and I chose a more important thing over those inserts, the film still cuts well and I’m pleased with the pacing.
My work as a Union Script Supervisor exposed me to some of the industry’s giants, both on set and in post, so I was extremely fortunate to get Steven Bodner, who, among many others, colored True Detective, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and the two latest Netflix hits Emily in Paris and The Queen’s Gambit, to color-grade my little film. We went through two quick passes with Esther’s Choice, and after the first one I actually came up with a concept, a color-trick that I didn’t think of during writing or developing the director’s vision. Steven liked the idea and it worked! From that experience I learned that not everything should/could be prepped, you have to open yourself to surprises and new inspiration up until the film is released, and maybe after. People with a sharp eye should notice the trick, but even just knowing that it’s there and it subconsciously might affect someone’s perception of the story is very exciting to me.
The music is extremely important for Esther’s Choice as the story is about a Composer who lost her inspiration. So I had the main theme piece (that Esther actually composes by the end of the film) written prior to shooting, by my amazing piano teacher Casey Mullen. It informed the mood and of course helped the acting. The hand double had enough time to practice, the Actress knew the emotional aspect of the piece, etc.
The actual scoring with the film’s composer Mariam Khayretdinova took a while, as well as sound editing and design with a legend, Brian Aumueller, but that’s all because I’m a big proponent of quality sound in film. Music is the highest form of “Art” for me, so I was willing to spend money and time on making it as good as it could be. “Film” is not just a visual medium, you know!
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
AAA: I’m now a proud alumnus of a crazy-COVID-2020 film festival year. I started submitting at the beginning of summer, after SXSW and Tribeca announced their postponements, so for a brief moment I thought I should hold on to the film and try in 2021 when the festivals might’ve run live again, but I quickly abandoned that idea. I was scheduled to blow up in 2020, and I hate being late! It was and still is a wild ride, I must say. Every festival Esther’s Choice has been accepted to, run differently this year. I definitely liked the way Chelsea Film Festival did it, for the audience it was easy to find the film, watch it on their own time and even vote for it, but I also appreciated the hard work LA FEMME put into trying to run the festival as close to the live experience as possible. We had an engaging Q&A with my cast and Cinematographer after an actual (virtual) Premiere to which we sold tickets and comparatively many people “came” to — we peaked at 40 viewers from all over the world, that’s like packing a small theater, I was elated.
After our successful run at Chelsea Film Festival, two producers reached out to me, and now I’m happy to say I’ve booked my first Directing gig on a feature film that wasn’t written by me. I’ve always wanted to do that: have a wonderful script given to me and try to add my vision to another Writer’s idea. The story is exciting, it’s nothing like Esther’s Choice, which fits my ultimate goal as a Filmmaker — not to box myself in one type of story/genre for the rest of my career, and continue growing and trying new things, so I’m thrilled about that project. The other producer who’s seen Esther’s Choice at CFF and loved it also offered me a gig, but that project I’m gonna write as well, and actually shoot this December, fingers crossed! I can’t stress enough the importance of exposure and getting out there, and I can’t imagine these two gigs falling on my lap if it wasn’t for Chelsea Film Festival’s aggressive social media campaigns and top-notch organization.
As far as PR goes, I actually interviewed a couple of publicists prior to the start of our fest-run, but I figured, with my own experience in journalism and PR, I could do a decent job promoting the film myself. Having over 20K followers in total on social media also helps. So far I’ve given over 10 interviews, from a 4-hour podcast talk about all things film and the detailed walk-through on the making of Esther’s Choice to multiple promo-appearances on the biggest Russian-speaking TV Channel in US RTVi and, of course, some festival-provided coverage like an interview with ABC’s The Morning Show’s Aaron Sanchez prior to the LA FEMME Premiere.
People reach out to me personally for sound bites and interviews, and I’m always down to talk. I think, being the biggest Champion of your own work is the way to go nowadays. The market is so saturated with fast-turnaround content now, it’s hard to stand out and be heard, but I’m up for the challenge. Of course, my tough-Eastern-European and modest-Asian upbringing sometimes stands in a way of my shameless self-promotion, but in those moments I remind myself what hard labor of love, blood, and sweat it was to get Esther’s Choice made, and then I hit “post” on that insta-story or tweet with a heart full of hope.
The Release?
AAA: After a year of the festival runs, I plan to release the film with one of the online platforms. I’ve been approached by the likes of No Budge and Vimeo already, but I will be considering my options closer to the next summer.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
AAA: I’ve said this in interviews before, and I continue to stand by this advice I give to all aspiring filmmakers I meet: WAIT.
Wait, before you jump to direct that first feature film or even a short. Wait, before your script is in a good place and tells a compelling story, as no amount of superb acting or visuals can save a bad script.
So, wait. Work on as many film productions as you can, as a Script Supervisor, Cinematographer, or at least a Producer — that is a real film school that will give you a priceless experience and knowledge before you launch on your own Filmmaking journey.
You will make blunders, it will be frustrating, so do yourself a favor, and wait. Wait and watch other creatives fail, so you can try to avoid their mistakes. Watch them make creative breakthroughs, so you can steal some tricks. This industry is extremely competitive, and, just like in Eminem’s song, “you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow.” The debut comes once in a lifetime. “Yo.”
Tell us what you think of Esther’s Choice What do you think of it? Genre? More genre? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter.
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