“Jack and Anna” By KseniA Ivanova

Based on true events from the early 1900s, “Jack and Anna” tells the story of a young couple whose happy life on their farm is suddenly shattered when Jack’s biggest secret is revealed: the fact that he is a woman named Helen. After the revelation, Helen is put on trial for cross-dressing and same-sex marriage.

The short film IN MEDIAS RUSH is an experimental cinematic journey into the depths of a manic mind. A poetic retro-sci-fi narrative unfolded in a string of unsettling tableaus that encapsulates the male protagonist’s ambiguous feelings about his birthday. While balancing between realities in his silent struggle with severe mental illness, we plunge into the film at a neatly orchestrated birthday party. The protagonist is accompanied by his girlfriend, and they are drinking cocoa on the couch in their mutual home. The setting breathes pure perfection, but through the voice over we sense that another reality is soon to be revealed. With one foot on the accelerator, he is heading towards the edge. The thematic focal point of IN MEDIAS RUSH is mental health problems among young adults, and the social/personal consequences related to the existing taboo on the subject. The film wishes to formulate an honest cinematic space in which words, sound, and image artistically interprets and articulates some of the perspectives related to especially bipolar, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. IN MEDIAS RUSH was nominated in the category 'Best Danish Short Film' at Copenhagen Short Film Festival in 2020. Original title: IN MEDIAS RÆS Directed by: Esben Persson -------------------- DK: IN MEDIAS RÆS IN MEDIAS RÆS er en filmisk rejse ind i dybderne af et manisk sind. En ung mand fejrer sin fødselsdag, mens hans tanker tordner afsted. Med en uvillig fod på speederen har han kurs mod kanten. FR: IN MEDIA RES IN MEDIA RES est un voyage dans les profondeurs d’un esprit maniaque. Un jeune homme fête son anniversaire tandis que ses pensées se multiplient. Malgré lui, il se dirige vers un point de non-retour. -------------------- Cast: Peter Alexander Bach & Amanda Overby Drew Director // Script writer // Set designer // Costume designer // Editor // Speaker: Esben Persson Photographer // Editor: Lasse Mølsted Producer: Latifa Lykke Ben Mabrouk Assistant producer: Cecilie Creutsberg Music composer: Martin Bejder Sound designer: Mads Hye Chief Lighting Technician: Rasmus Bruun Liboriussen VFX: Jonas Fonnesbæk Lodahl Colorist: Kristopher Paterson Graphic designer: Jakob Toft Kristensen -------------------- Shot on RED Monstro 8K with Lomo Squarefront Anamorphics.

Jack and Anna is a film that explores love and intimacy in the face of a rigid society that would reject the characters for who they are. The story explores the power of love and how it transcends traditional gender roles and relationships. The story of Jack and Anna is unique because it gives an honest and compassionate representation of the struggles faced by members of the LGBTQ community. They grapple with their fears of how to self-identify while at the same time fighting against those who do not accept them breaking from strict societal norms. Set in 1913, their choice to fight for their happiness is even more powerful because at that time the thought of a same-sex couple was unheard of.

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Jack and Anna is a Columbia College Chicago MFA thesis film. The structure of the screenplay allowed our team to shoot most of the scenes within Illinois and Indiana. We had several historic locations including Gray Willows Farm, Fisher Farm and Old Lake Court House. Jack and Anna team is comprised of individuals with different cultural backgrounds; it represents diversity of artists from all around the world. 80% of the crew behind Jack and Anna are women. For everyone involved, Jack and Anna became more than just a short film.

Ksenia Ivanova - Director

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Credits

Director // Ksenia Ivanova

Producers // Eva Herndon and Mika Santiaguel

Screenwriters // Savannah Oakes and Ksenia Ivanova

Director of Photography // Madelyn Momano

Starring
Kate Smith, Brookelyn Hébert, Joe Chapleau, Matthew Quattrocki,
Dan Flannery, Noah Lepawsky and Jim Hamilton

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