“behind the pose” | Short Film
“behind the pose” | Short Film
Genre: Drama
Year: 2024
About: Teen Eastern-European model on the brink of losing her contract must redeem herself in one last photoshoot under threat of sexual exploitation and deportation.
Written & Directed by: Sally Lomidze
Starring: Ksena Samborska, Rick Irwin, Natalia Volkodaeva
Director of Photography: Daniel Cho
Produced by: Melissa Rodriguez
Exec. Produced by: Sally Lomidze, Aubrey Smyth, M Shah Javaid
Awards:
SEMI-FINALIST - New York Indie Shorts Awards - 2024
OFFICIAL SELECTION - New York Shorts International Film Festival - 2024
OFFICIAL SELECTION - YoFiFest, The Yonkers Film Festival - 2024
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions - 2024
Director’s Statement
One late night an unfamiliar instrumental song (featured in the film) came on in my headphones and before I knew it I was in tears. The lonely echoing notes of the piano keys sounded like barefoot steps running away from something terrifyingly painful: that’s when I decided I was ready to tell my story. Unfortunately, like many women, I have not been immune to being overly sexualized, preyed upon and scrutinized from a very young age: I've buried these experience deep inside until I heard the song, inspiring me to start my 2-year research on the dynamics of sexual abuse. Particularly, the abuser’s psychology of grooming (building trust and emotional connection with a person in order to exploit them) and the victim’s defense response of dissociation (disconnection between a person's sensory experience, thoughts or sense of self).
Setting the story in the fashion world adds another layer of complexity: I've always been fascinated by how models channel this extremely mature and confident look from the magazine page, while the full picture is often a young girl putting on a mask, with awkwardness still peeking through. I want to capture that contrast by using camera POVs during the photoshoot scene to show how the photographer's camera sees Masha, mixed with behind the scenes angles revealing the reality of Masha's emotional state.
I want Masha’s story to serve as an observation of how elusive this experience can be, especially coming from someone you trust. The courage and strength of the women that shared their experiences through the “Me Too” movement has created amazing resources, so I can only hope that this story continues the conversation. Needless to say, the song that started it all will be the official soundtrack as a tribute to the moment I decided to take control of my own story.
