Our first ever Youth Award-Winning film is Promise? a haunting non-linear story of two sisters whose relationship is founded on promises, and trust.
Promise? is made by Bahia Rozan, a French-American junior at Berkeley High school. She has loved film ever since she learned how to work a camera. Bahia also has a passion for painting and rowing.
In Promise? The seemingly innocent pair of sisters make a plan to stick together and will do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Pieces of their plan are revealed with hints sprinkled throughout the short film, and the haunting puzzle comes together at the end.
Directorâs Statement: This film was made as a school assignment for a non-linear story during my fall semester of junior year. I wanted to experiment with a darker storyline and use actors who seemed innocent to counter the story. My younger sister and her friend volunteered to be in this film. They have a very innocent good girl look which I thought would pair well with the darker story.
There are a lot of small details throughout the film that add depth, such as the details in the surroundings. On the desks the sisters use, there are photographs of them but also of their family (that we later find out they have poisoned). Thereâs also the amazon package where they got the poison that is in the background of a lot of shots, and there are notes of what the poison is on their desk.
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Director Bio:Â
My name is Bahia Rozan, pronounced ba-ya, and Iâm currently a junior in high school. Iâve been passionate about film for as long as I can remember. Iâve transitioned from small, no-budget productions with friends in elementary school, to less small, no-budget productions with friends in high school.
This is my third year taking a film class and my second taking year advanced film. The combination of these previous classes and the challenge of online school has allowed me to be more creative, and create better films. I used this school year to experiment with film and found that all of my projects have two things in common: color and details. I try to use color, whether in my lighting or scene surroundings, to convey more depth to the character in a short time. I love adding small details in the background. I plan to keep making films in my academic future and beyond, and to one day transition from shorts to full-length films.
Credits for Promise?
Bahia Rozan // Director, Writer & Producer Emma Besnard // Key Cast âOlder sisterâ Loulou Rozan // Key Cast âYounger sisterâ
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