Sunkiss
Dice Rose
United States of America / 2024 / Animation, Fiction / 10’5”I2501707
SYNOPSIS
SUNKISS is a 16mm short film created a small proof of concept for a feature that deals with themes of bisexuality, girlhood, and rape culture. It is loosely based on my own personal experiences in the summer in between middle school and high school. I shot on Kodak 16mm to help capture the vivacious summer sun and the effortless nostalgia that only film can conjure. 16mm specifically has this real tangible quality to its look that makes it feel like a verite document of a moment. My film strikes a balance between capturing the beautiful parts of discovering who you are against the backdrop of the threat from predatory men. My experience in life is full of dualities, such as the duality of a perfect summer day contrasted with a dangerous moment that can change the course of your life forever. SUNKISS allows myself and my collaborators to build a world where the actor blocking, cinematography and careful pacing of the edit are the driving forces of telling the story. I have always felt such a kinship when sharing my own stories of sexual abuse and healing through giving a voice to others who have also experienced similar trauma. It is my goal to capture this moment of time in girlhood where so many of us were forced to put away our childhood things in order to cope with a traumatic experience that we have often blamed ourselves for. But show it in a way that can capture the duality of a moment in time.