Miller & Son
Miller & Son is a 2019 live action short film directed by non-binary filmmaker Asher Jelinsky during their directing MFA studies at the AFI Conservatory.[1][2] This short film explores the feeling of compartmentalization by portraying the life of a transgender mechanic, performed by non-binary actor Jesse James Keitel.[3] It has been selected and awarded at several film festivals including Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival where it won the Oscar Qualifying Best Live-Action Short Award, the BAFTA Student Film Awards where it won Best Live Action, and the Student Academy Awards where it won its second Oscar Qualifying Award with the Gold Medal for "Best Narrative" (Domestic).[4]
Miller & Son | |
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Directed by | Asher Jelinsky |
Produced by | Kate Chamuris |
Written by | Asher Jelinsky |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Robert Nachman |
Edited by | Selinda Tian Jz Zhou |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 21 minutes |
Country | United States |
Plot
A transwoman mechanic lives between running her family's auto shop during the day and expressing her femininity at night, until an unforeseen event threatens the balance of her compartmentalized life.
Awards
Since its launch, the film has received numerous awards, and selected in more than 60 festivals around the world.
Year | Presenter/Festival | Award/Category | Status |
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2019 | Student Academy Awards | Best Narrative (Domestic) | Won[5][6] |
BAFTA Student Film Awards | Best Live Action Short Film | Won | |
St. Louis International Film Festival | Best Live-Action Short | Won | |
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity | Gold Screen Young Director Award (Film School 6 mins and over) | Won[7] | |
Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival | International Competition | Nominated[8] | |
Rhode Island International Film Festival | Best Student Film | Nominated | |
Ashland Independent Film Festival | Jury and Audience Award for "Best Narrative Short" | Won[9] | |
FilmOut San Diego | Outstanding Artistic Achievement | Won | |
Nevada City Film Festival | Best Performance | Won | |
North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival | Best Long-Form Dramatic Short | Won | |
References
- Edwards, Danny (July 22, 2019). "Asher Jelinsky on their award-winning film & the portrayal of trans & nonbinary characters". Shots.
As a gender nonbinary person, I also compartmentalise as a coping mechanism and am often confronted with the choice of whether to speak up or stay silent.
- "Congratulations to AFI's Student Academy Award Winners". AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE. October 18, 2019.
- Bahr, Lindsey (October 18, 2019). "Film academy honours 16 Student Academy Award winners". Times Columnist.
Authenticity in casting was of utmost importance to Jelinsky
- "MEDALISTS REVEALED AT 2019 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS". The Oscars.
- Williams, Trey (September 12, 2019). "AFI Leads All Universities in 2019 Student Academy Award Winners". The Wrap.
- Wheat, Lorraine (October 20, 2019). "Rory Kennedy, Gregory Nava Celebrate Films Creating Social Change at 2019 Student Academy Awards". Variety.
Narrative (Domestic Film Schools) Gold: Asher Jelinsky, “Miller & Son,” American Film Institute
- "YOUNG DIRECTOR AWARD - WINNER 2019".
- "Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival - Miller & Son".
- "Rhode Island International Film Festival / Sidewalk Film Festival 2019 – Miller & Son". We Are Moving Stories.
(...) won both the jury and audience awards for Best Narrative Short at the Ashland Independent Film Festival