Who we are?
In a nutshell ... "the UN" :)
My name is Aimiende Negbenebor Sela. I am the writer/director of A Day In the Life of Who, a story about hoping against hope. This is my second short film, after the award-winning Asa, A Beautiful Girl, and I count myself lucky to have a group of talented and visionary women filmmakers join me in bringing this film to life. The women embarking on this journey with me are my co-producer, Ruya Koman, associate producer Natasha Rachuru, line producer Britney Meeks and production designer Sonia Rachuru. Together, we hope to promote female-driven films written, directed and produced by women. Supporting us are equally diverse, talented and beautiful storytellers. From my dad - executive producer David Silverberg, an all around beautiful human being; Victor Okoye, our DoP, Gil Rivera, 1st A.D., Camera Op. Joseph Chun Fu Chang, to the many amazing members of our crew and the wonderful cast, I'm surrounded by so much talent. Together we aim to inspire you.
About the Writer-Director
Aimiende Negbenebor Sela
Creator of the Award-winning short film "Asa, A Beautiful Girl," Aimiende Negbenebor Sela hails from Benin City, Nigeria. After moving to New York in the late ‘90s, she went on to earn a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering and Bachelor's of Arts in Literature from Stevens Institute of Technology. After a number of years of trudging along in the I.T. world, she made a life-altering decision to leave this world and pursue her true passion - the arts.
Aimiende created Sela Films to carry out a mission: opening eyes to parts of the world not observed on a daily basis - pushing the boundaries of innovation, inclusion, diversity, and creativity. Focusing on #humanism. The Short Film "Asa, A Beautiful Girl", a teaser for the feature-length version of the film by the same name, is the first of a series of projects aimed at that goal. It marks Aimiende's directorial debut.
“A Day in the Life of Who (the short)”, which follows a North Korean escapee, who when she witnesses the tragic death of a homeless New Yorker, discovers that the killer might be her long lost brother is Aimiende’s second film aimed at the same goal.
For more about Aimiende and her work, please visit her at www.aimiende.com, where she mixes her everyday thoughts and occasional experiences with a bit of photography in her play blog: Conversations.
Meet some of the Cast!
Hana Kim (Lucy Woo)
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, she spent her childhood in more than 5 cities because of her father’s job as a Korean Government Officer. This adventurous, strong and daring young girl decided to travel and volunteer in Laos and in China by herself and eventually settled down in New York City to pursue her passion as an actor. She studied French Language & Literature at HongIk University in Seoul and also attended Actor’s Studio in Korea at the same time. When she made her transition from Seoul to build her career, she started to learn English at the age of 24 and it was a huge challenge for her to continue to grow as a foreign actor; but her hard work and discipline and her full obsession with the craft of acting enable her to challenge all the obstacles. She recently completed 2 years of acting conservatory at prestigious Maggie Flanigan Studio. She is currently working with Anthony Abeson to sharpen her skills. She just finished her first feature film “Love Is A Broadway Hit” as a supporting actor and is very excited to be working on the upcoming short film “ A Day In The Life Of Who” as the lead.
Rob Leng (Tao (Tae-Woo Park))
Rob Leng is an audacious Asian American actor based in New York City. His training includes the renowned Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute and the Upright Citizens Brigade Improvisation School up to 401. He has studied under many gifted and experienced instructors such as Robert Ellerman, Paul Calderon, Bob Krakower and Heidi Marshall to list a few. Other than being an actor Robert also likes to write scripts and poetry, play basketball, paint and read books preferably anything by Haruki Murakami.
Teren Carter (Kevan aka "The Bully")
Baltimore native Teren Carter began his acting career in the German production of Miss Saigon. Later, he played the role of Simon in the national tour of "Jesus Christ, Superstar", with originals Ted Neely and Carl Anderson. Additional credits include the role of Black, in Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party”, Nomax, in the Arizona Rep Theater's production of "Five Guys Named Moe", and Adrian in "Smokey Joe's Cafe." In 2016 the Connecticut Critics Circle voted him Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Award for his 2015 performance as Delray in Memphis the Musical at Ivoryton Playhouse. His TV credits include recent appearances on The Blacklist, The Good Wife, Blindspot, Madam Secretary, and Elementary.
Robert House (Cop)
Robert House co-starred as Lil' Unkle in "Young Flaccid Gonna Die", which won the creative excellence award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014. He has appeared on many shows such as "Shades of Blue", "Law & Order SVU" and ID Channel's "Frenemies."
Scott Daniel Albrecht (Rookie Cop)
Scott Albrecht is currently pursuing acting in New York City. It has been just over 6 months of him living in the world's heart beat, but it has not been his first move…He is multi ethnic, his mother being from Korea and his dad a German American. He tried to identify with other people and that's how he got into acting, watching movies and seeing actors being able to portray different characters was appealing to him.
Mahmoud Mahmoud "The Fixer" (Detective Vasquez)
Mahmoud Mahmoud is a humanitarian and actor. Mahmoud plays the role of Detective Vasquez in the A Day in the Life of Who and has played the lead role in over 13 films from The End of Times to Karina 115. Mahmoud has been featured in Pepsi commercials and has had the History Channel produce a documentary on him. Mahmoud has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and NPR for his work with refugees and immigration. Mahmoud loves to travel the world and has been to 31 countries thus far and speaks 4 languages.
Rae'l Ba (Singing Homeless Woman)
Rae'l Ba is an 18 year old actress from Baltimore, Maryland. She has been studying Acting for over 12 years through specialized art schools. The loss of her mother has continuously been her motivation throughout her career. As a result, in the last 4 years, she has been in 5 stage productions, 4 films, and has been trained by over 10 professional actors. She currently is attending Pace University's BFA Acting program.
Cassandra Seale (Angry Homeless Woman)
Cassandra Seale is a Korean and American actress -- born in Baltimore, she spent some formative years in East Tennessee, then flew north to school in Boston before landing in New York (where she knew she'd end up sooner or later). She enjoys dance parties, sunsets, and snacks, amongst other things. She's thrilled to be part of A Day in the Life of Who! and thanks you for your support.
Our Production Team
Ruya Koman (Co-Producer): Ruya Koman is a film producer, director, and actress. Ruya recently made her directorial debut with a short film that she wrote, produced and directed ("REUNION") starring the legendary Judith Roberts and Margaret Reed. In addition to "The Re-Union", Ruya has produced a number of award-winning short films such as "Najmia", "One Second Changes Everything", "Before We Lose", "In the Life of A Child", "The Poem of A Memory" and "Remember to Love". "Before We Lose" was an official selection at the 2014 BAFTA and Academy Award affiliated Foyle Film Festival in Northern Ireland. "Najmia" was an official selection at the 2015 Interfilm Berlin Festival, 2016 Miami International Film Festival and the 2015 FOLCS Film Festival (Time Warner Center, NYC) and the film also won the Best Narrative Short Film Award at Chennai International Short Film Festival in 2015. Ruya recently produced two short films, "Compatibility" and "Mr. Richardson" directed by two Tribeca alumni.
Britney Meeks (Line Producer): Britney Meeks was first introduced to the film industry on a whim. Several months after leaving a professional career in medicine and sales, she ventured into a casting call for background actors for a Feature Length production. Britney quickly knew she had found her passion. After many years, she developed Gryphon Entertainment, Ltd. Co. with intentions to continue working with and helping Independent Filmmakers reach success with their projects and, progressively, her own. She is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such an amazing cast and crew with A Day In The Life Of Who!
Natasha Rachuru (Unit Production Manager/Associate Producer): Natasha Rachuru began her producing career at NYU where she was selected to screen her short film at the New York Indian Film Festival in 2012. She later went on to produce her first independent feature film titled, "It's Free." After traveling to India and assisting on the set of the award winning production company, Recyclewala Films, she returned to NY to pursue other creative work in the digital space. She's now excited to be part of this amazing film and can't wait to bring this story to life!
Meet some of our wonderful Crew!
Victor Okoye aka Victor O'Frank (Director of Photography): If Victor Okoye Frank aka Victor O’Frank was to be described in three words it’ll be --Director | Director of photography | Screenwriter and if you may add, a film Educator. He is also an award winning filmmaker, hails from Nigeria. Victor is known for his award winning short film Creative Minds and Purpose. He studied at the prestigious New York Film Academy where he obtained his degree as a director. To know more about Victor O'Frank, visit www.victorofrank.com
Sonia Rachuru (Production Designer): As Production Designer of "A Day in the Life of Who", Sonia Rachuru aims to capture the grit and soulfulness of this story in New York City. With several independent films under her belt and experience as Associate Producer on a past project, she is passionate about creative collaboration, especially this time around!
Mohnish Rachuru (Art Director): Mohnish is a student at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, concentrating in art, fashion, and social and cultural analysis. Having a variety of interests, Mohnish hopes to gain experience in creative fields and pursue a career in the arts.
Gil Rivera (First AD): Gil Rivera is a New York city-based filmmaker. He's been a key component in many projects. Ranging from acting in supporting roles to Directing. He's a true artist bringing a much-needed slice of raw talent. Gil began his film making journey with a string of moving portrait, music videos. This has lead him to create a few short films. He's currently working on his first full feature. To know more about Gil Rivera, visit www.GilRivera.Net.
Joseph Chun Fu Chang (Camera Operator): Joseph is a filmmaker and photographer. He has a good eye for color, lighting and framing. He loves everything about films!
Candace Clymer (Script Supervisor): Candy Clymer is a graduate of Boston University's Film and TV program. Originally from Scranton, PA, she now works in New York as a script supervisor and production assistant. She also writes, takes photos and performs stand-up comedy.
Ronnie Quillen (Stunt Coordinator): When I'm not training for stunts or acting for film, you can find me either doing flips on trampolines or doing parkour and ninja warrior obstacles. My hobbies include basketball, ultimate frisbee, setting myself on fire, and eating delicious food.
Stephanie Gomez (Make up Artist/Hair Stylist): Stephanie's admiration for the arts as well as her passion for creating/developing her craft is deeply rooted in her family, growing up to a father who is a painter and sister who is a celebrity makeup artists. This guided her to start her artist career at the Cooper Union where she started to gain an interest in FX/beauty makeup for editorial TV/film along the way. She has always been between the worlds of beauty and art. It is through her artistry that she has mastered a way to create a different realm of what beauty is through art. She is fearless when it comes to diving into a new project, being a visual learner has enabled her to be self-reliant when bringing a client’s vision to life.
The story and the inspiration
"A Day In The Life of Who" is a short film based on the 2015 CineStory Finalist feature length screenplay with the same title. I'm Nigerian by descent and so is our Director of Photography Victor Okoye, but this story is about a North Korean. I've been asked on multiple occasions "why?" and the only answer I can give is that we all have the same experiences, they're just colored differently.
This story is one of mis-encounters between family members; where one sibling goes searching for her missing sibling who unbeknownst to her is closer than she thinks.
It was inspired by my personal experience as a young Nigerian girl living in the States. Like so many citizens of this great metropolis, New York City, I ride the subway, and I wonder who else may be riding the subway, sitting in the same car as someone they share a familial bond with and have absolutely no idea ... That thought inspired the script for "A Day In The Life of Who".
Part of the inspiration also came from my adoption. After arriving in the States, I was adopted by a Jewish papa, David Silverberg whom I love to death. I was seventeen when he brought me into his home. His family heritage is a major inspiration for this story too. Over the years, I've heard story after story of family members torn apart by the holocaust being so close to each other and yet ... they never find out and never meet again. These stories and countless others like them from all around the world really touch me and hammer in my belief in humanism: the notion that we are all responsible for each other and really should care.
So I ask you to come and join me, join us, on this journey of telling these incredible stories!
What We Need & What You Get
We will need a total of $5,000 for pre-production, production and post-production expenses. If we are unable to raise these funds prior to production, we'll use the resources available to us at present to complete production and gear the funds raised in this campaign toward the all important post production process.
The funds raised will be used as follows:
Crew: Being an Ultra Low Budget production, we are unable to pay the crew their true worth and in appreciation of their time on set, helping to bring this film to life, the funds we raise will help provide daily transportation to and from set during production, meals, and a small stipend at the end of production.
Cast: Our incredible cast jumped on board because they loved the story, and I am incredibly grateful for their talent, their faith, and their willingness to give their best to this project. The funds we raise will help provide them with transportation during production, meals, and a small stipend at the end of production for their invaluable time on set, helping bring this story to life.
Catering: These funds raised will help provide breakfast and lunch, snacks, water, coffee and teas for the full four to five production days.
Location: When things go right, they go so right! We'll be shooting at two incredible indoor locations in Long Island City--
3636 Studios: www.3636studios.com
Eclectic Photo Studios: www.eclecticphotostudios.com
Awesome, right!? We've got insurance covered, so all we need is build and clean up. The funds we raise here will help cover those two items for both interior locations, as well as cover the permits cost for our exterior (city) scenes.
Transportation: We are renting a cargo truck for production equipment transportation. The cost includes the rental fees plus tax for the week, fuel, and insurance. As mentioned earlier, we are also providing transportation coverage (local subway costs) for all members of our cast and crew. The funds we raise will help cover these.
Art Department: Oh, to make a space look like something it ain't! The magic of production design and art directing. We have to rent two vehicles, purchase some props for our actors, and our sets which require transforming a studio space into a functioning soup kitchen, a sidewalk into "skid row", a bare room into a precinct, and an empty loft into a cozy living space. In addition to this, we have a handful of cast costumes that we must provide in addition to what the actors are donating to the cause. Funds raised will also go towards these areas of production.
Post Production: is a whole 'nother beast! We need to raise funds to cover editing software subscription, licensing and original music recording, color correction and sound design, special effects and the film's artwork (poster, etc.)
And then comes marketing ... but we'll cross that bridge when we get there :)
If we are not able to reach the $5,000 goal, we plan to use the funds raised for the critical items in post production: picture and sound editing, special effects, music, artwork and then festival submissions (first step in our marketing plan.)