Synopsis
At a debaucherous party in the Berlin woods, a rebellious and naive American student takes things too far with her rigid best friend. After pledging to forget what happened, May must listen to the whispers of German history throughout the grey city and find the courage to confront her desire for Rachel before they part ways for the summer.
On their last night abroad, May drags Rachel into the Berlin woods where they infiltrate an underground rave. After abandoning her best friend, sexually bartering for drugs, and almost being trampled by the crowd, May is rescued by Rachel. Caught up in the chaos and her own manic desire, May hooks up with Rachel. Their hook up is cut short by Rachel when she declares that May is too “fucked up,” ignorant to the fact that May is actually completely sober.
The next morning, as they both prepare to leave Berlin, May doubles down, confirming that she doesn’t remember anything from the previous night – terrified of risking their friendship. As the two girls wander the empty streets, the city itself implores May to confront the past. After an eerie flea market encounter with two wooden dolls and the same old man May saw in the woods, Rachel discovers that her passport is missing and they must return to the woods in order to leave.
Surrounded by green and the remnants of the previous night, May and Rache/share a rare moment of transparency in the harsh Berlin daylight and miraculously recover the passport. Later, May soundly sleeps on Rachel’s shoulder on the bus to the airport. Rachel leaves May alone on the bus with the wooden dolls that she secretly purchased on May’s behalf, careful not to wake her.
Key Personnel
Kate diRienzi – Director, Screenwriter
Kate diRienzi is an NYC-based filmmaker from Philly. Her films examine explosive emotional landscapes through a lens of strained femininity and queer freedom. Before making films, Kate began as a theater director and choreographer. Now, her films have screened domestically and internationally. Her first short film, Before We Die, was awarded Best Short Film at the Boston Film Festival. Her second short, Nunʼs Beach received an Audience Award at NFFTY in 2025. Kate is currently in pre-production for her thesis film, a queer coming of age romance that follows the spiritual transformation of a rebellious traveller over a disorienting 12 hours in Berlin. Kate is a 2025 Robert Gore Rifkind Queer Production Grant Recipient, a 2025 Screenwriter Sessions PANO Scholarship Recipient, and a 2024 NYWIFT Scholarship Recipient. Kate received her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is now completing her MFA in Screenwriting & Directing at Columbia University.
Sophia Stier – German Producer
Sophia is a creative producer specializing in international co-production with narrative shifting stories of marginalized communities & female driven topics. As she is of German & Iranian descent she always felt the urge to tell stories that ultimately change people’s perception of what they believe they already know. She recently produced a short film in cooperation with ARTE/SWR & worked in production for series like CONCORDIA – Intaglio Films/ZDFstudios) as well as international sales assistant for mk2 films Paris. Sophia attended the prestigious international postgraduate program Atelier Ludwigsburg Paris – La Fémis & Filmakademie Ba-Wü) & the Marketing Book & Media Practice Masterclass – Goethe University Frankfurt). She studied film, theater & media studies, art history, philosophy & intercultural business communication in Hildesheim, Jena, Frankfurt & Paris(Sorbonne). While studying she freelanced as PA – EgoliTossel, CineImpuls), worked as festival organizer, radio host/ film critic & interned at ZDF DasKleineFernsehspiel/ARTE. She was a two-time recipient of the Deutschland-scholarship & awarded the Scheffel Prize (for writing talent) & received qualification grants from HessenFilm & MDM.
Lizzy Blum – NYC Co-Producer
Lizzy Blum is a multidisciplinary producer based in New York City. Lizzy focuses on queer dark comedy in both theater and film. She currently works as a production and finance coordinator at St. Annʼs Warehouse, a performing arts space specializing in international theater in Dumbo. She previously worked as a production coordinator at The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, where she collaborated on game development and worked closely with the art department. She has produced and directed various film and theater projects, most recently including Going Dark (proof of concept short film), Finding Bella (short film), Nunʼs Beach (a short film) and Stand Up to Murder (a one woman show).
Elina Deshpande – NYC/Columbia University Co-Producer
Elina Deshpande is an Indian-born, NYC-based filmmaker. She is drawn to telling stories that explore the complexities of human relationships and attempt to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Amsterdam, she began her career in Public Relations and is now pursuing an MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia University.
Sinclair Daniel – Lead Cast
Sinclair Daniel is a Brooklyn-based film and theater actress known for starring as Nella in The Other Black Girl on Hulu. She also starred in Insidious: Red Door and co-stars in an upcoming Peacock espionage thriller series with Simu Liu.
Kevin Xian Ming Yu – NYC Director of Photography
Kevin Xian Ming Yu is a filmmaker from Queens, NY. They are a 2024 Film at Lincoln Center Artist Academy Fellow and 20232024 UFO Film Lab filmmaker. They were also selected to be a part of the 2024 NewFest/Concord Originals Sound & Scene Cohort. Kevin is committed to telling the stories of underrepresented communities, specifically representing the Asian-American communities and diaspora in New York. Their latest short film, Yú Cì – Fish Bones) premiered at SXSW 2025. Kevin has also worked as a cinematographer on various short form content and two feature films, Verde and Anna Comes Home. Their work as a cinematographer has screened at festivals such as Sundance, Energa Camerimage Festival, New Orleans Film Festival and has been featured on Short of the Week and the A.V. Club. Kevin is also the co-editor of homesickness: a BIPOC Cinema Zine.
