Synopsis
In this short romance, an unexpected attraction is sparked by a spectacular cake at a swanky birthday party. Olivia is the affluent host. Jake is a ride share driver. She is white. He is black. They are mature and damaged, but their chemistry is stronger than their reluctance…until she assumes the worst.
Key Personnel
Elena Zazanis, (Director, Lead Actress) has earned extensive credits in film, new media, commercial productions and theater. She directed, wrote, and starred in “The Red Gucci Bag,” a short satire which debuted in the Golden Door International Film Festival, as well as “Desperate Hostess,” a video made for Wine Spectator Magazine. Highlights of her on camera acting credits include the award winning “Park Slope Moms,” Newfest honored “Purge,” DGA awarded “Razan,” Slamdance’s “Nightingale,” and horror feature “The Ascension” opposite Corbin Bernsen.
Zazanis voices true crime witnesses and victims, most notably Susan Berman in The Trial of Robert Durst, and Margo Diamond in the Ambie nominated Night Raid, both for Crime Story Media. She currently works as an improvisational actor and coach at Fordham University School of Law, covering multiple tracks in simulations that range from mock trials to counseling exercises.
In theater, Zazanis has originated leading roles in off-Broadway and regional world premieres with credits extending to the NY and Chicago Fringe, as well as Planet Connections, where she won an outstanding lead actress award. She has also directed stage plays in Samuel French and Planet Connections festivals.
Zazanis is an active member of New York Women in Film and Television. And she hosts Salon136 in Jersey City, a topical roundtable to promote communication and creative advancement in the context of polarization and rapid technological change.
Keaton Morris-Stan (Producer) is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to creation through collaboration. She has produced 7 narrative shorts, playing at more than 40 festivals across the country, including Academy-Award qualifying Woodstock Film Festival in 2022 and deadCenter Film Festival in 2024, as well as Canadian Screen Awards qualifier New York Shorts International in 2024.
Mayumi Lane ( Writer) Born and raised in Tokyo, Mayumi Lane is a bilingual writer and filmmaker whose work explores life in America through the unique lens of an outsider. She studied filmmaking at New York University, the New York Film Academy, and Image Forum in Tokyo. She wrote and directed short films, The Diary and Colored Dreams. She studied playwriting under Julie McKee at HB Studio in New York. Her plays include Adventure and It’s a Fine Day.
Saro Varjabedian (Cinematographer) has photographed nine feature films, one feature documentary, several web-series and countless shorts. Saro has garnered several nominations at the many festivals he’s been to, some of the most notable include Best Cinematography at the 2017 Woodstock Film Festival and 2018 Lebanese Movie awards.
Cast
