About: June is determined to protect her daughter from the arrival of the Fog: an ominous force that comes for young girls at a certain age. But when confronted with echoes of her own encounter, she struggles to suppress fears that her mother's failures will become her own.
Director- Desiree Abeyta
Desirée is a multifaceted Hispanic creative known for exploring social and feminist themes through a magical / hopeful lens. Her works have explored themes of loss, conflict, and coming of age through creative metaphors and heightened realities. She highlights women focused narratives with characters that are not simply "strong female arch types", favoring instead women who exist within the complexities and nuances of day to day situations. Her first venture into filmmaking as a writer/director, “An Invitation to Tea”, is a grounded, whimsical tale that explores the dichotomy of inspirational stories we are told as children in relation to adult, real-life problems. It was one of 5 recipients of the inaugural Inwood Artworks Filmmakers Grant and went on to win Excellence in Filmmaking, Best New Director, and multiple Audience Choice Awards in various festivals across the country. Her second short film, "ANNE", explores the racial tensions of color blind casting while questioning the true importance of story telling and was in consideration for a 2023 Academy Award Nomination. Her most recent film, "Beyond The Fog", was a recipient of a production grant through IndieGrants.org. She resides in NY with her husband and has just entered the chaotic glory that is motherhood.
Director Statement
I read a quote recently that said, "As a woman, I have so much empathy for my mother. But as a daughter, I have so much anger." As a new mother myself, I found these words to be particularly truthful to my own experience. My mother is not a bad person. She tried hard to fit into what a mother "should be", having herself been raised to buy in to certain roles and expectations for women. What came with it was almost an unconscious complacency for how women were viewed and, as a by product, treated. I came to learn that this is not unique to my specific upbringing or my specific culture. In fact, it may be one of the few things that connects women across most cultures, races, and (even still) generations. I think about this when I look at my own daughter. I think about the lessons and values I hope to instill, the ways in which I hope to embolden her to live without fear, and naturally the things I hope to do differently as her mother. When it's her turn to face the world as a young woman, will I have done enough for her to be victorious in her own inevitable battles? As a filmmaker who is drawn to allegory and magical realism, I was eager to encapsulate this moment, as well as the hope I carry for it, in a unique and distinctive way.