This psychedelic film noir follows Ivy Osborn, a private eye, as she tracks down a mysterious person at a co-op party. Ivy struggles against her own anxieties as she makes her way through the chaos of the parties and slowly discovers there may be something sinister going on. With compelling mysteries, intricate characters, and stunning colors, Black Strawberries aims to go past the bounds of a classic film noir and find something new entirely. Written and created entirely by UT Austin students.
Logline
A college-aged private investigator is hired to find a missing student in the midst of a co-op party. The assignment turns out to be more than she bargained for when she eats an off-colored strawberry that, unbeknownst to her, is laced with hallucinogenic drugs.
Who We Are
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Emma Matus - Producer
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Daniel Hrncir - Director
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Blake Mendoza - Director of Photography
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Patrick McFarland - Writer + Editor
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Kirsten Wilmeth - Art Director
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Maria Torres - Sound Supervisor
Why This Film
In creating this film, we wanted to create something unique and challenging for a student film. Mixing the unique worlds of both film noir and psychedelic aesthetics allows for so much room to explore with directing, lighting, sound, and performance. Black Strawberries is a film that ventures outside of many conventions and rules of film, all while following a single girl on her case. Ivy's own social fears and anxieties, all right at home in the world of film noir, will take her (and the audience) on an incredible journey of growth. Films allow audiences to look straight into the heart of characters and relate to what's there, and that's what Black Strawberries will allow the audience to do with Ivy. The story of her case and the mystery, all encased in beautiful and intriguing visuals and soundscapes, will provide an experience for the audience to take that journey with her.
Black Strawberries is a teaching experience as well as a film. We want our student filmmakers to try new things and experiment, whether that's trying a new position entirely, or simply building a new kind of lighting set up for a classic film noir scene. We are a community of students helping each other wherever we can and are excited to do so while crafting a beautiful story along the way.
DKA Studios
Our student filmmakers are being provided these amazing opportunities by DKA, a professional gender-inclusive cinematic society. Our UT students at the Lambda chapter come from all different majors and experience levels and together work to create amazing projects. Allowing young filmmakers opportunities to grow and try new things before entering the vast industry of media entertainment is a big part of our mission.
Other Ways You Can Help
As we are a student film, we are happy for help of any kind!
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Food
- We are actively seeking out donations of any food, meals, or drinks we can get. All of our craft services will be coming out of our own budget or donations. We want to provide our cast and crew with the best meals possible on set to thank them for their hard work. During scenes with extras, we'll have quite a lot of mouths to feed, and we could really use the help! Any contributions, whether catering, donations, or even recipes would be appreciated!
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Word of Mouth
- We are reaching out to people using social media, but we can always use a little push! Even if you can't donate but would like to spread the word to any friends or family, we would love the help.
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Anything Else
- Got a prop you think absolutely needs to be in this film? Know any college students who would love a free meal and a chance to be an extra in this film? If you think you can help us in any way, please shoot us an email at blackstrawberriesfilm@gmail.com, or reach out to us through our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you.
