AFTER TRAGICALLY LOSING HER HUSBAND TO COVID, DALILA FEELS A PRESENCE IN HER HOME. WHEN SHE INVITES IT IN, SHE REALIZES THAT IT’S NOT HER HUSBAND’S GHOST, BUT A MALEVOLENT ENTITY FEEDING OFF HER GRIEF.
DALILA, A YOUNG LATINA WOMAN, LOSES HER HUSBAND SCOTT EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC WHEN HE CONTRACTS COVID. AS SHE PROCESSES HER LOSS, DALILA GOES THROUGH THE 5 STAGES OF GRIEF: ISOLATION, ANGER, BARGAINING, DENIAL, AND FINALLY ACCEPTANCE. BUT SHE IS NOT ALONE.
WHEN HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY TRY TO REACH OUT TO HELP, DALILA OBJECTS, WANTING TO GRIEVE FOR HER HUSBAND IN PEACE. WHEN SHE FEELS A PRESENCE IN HER HOME, SHE BELIEVES IT’S HER HUSBAND’S SPIRIT. AFTER DALILA’S FRIEND BROOKE TRIES TO CHEER HER UP, DALILA KICKS HER OUT OF THE HOUSE, FUELING THE ENTITY. DALILA BEGS FOR HER HUSBAND TO COME BACK WHEN THE PRESENCE REVEALS ITSELF AND REACHES OUT, PROMISING TO TAKE HER TO HIM.
AFTER TAKING A NEARLY FULL BOTTLE OF ANXIETY MEDICATION, DALILA CALLS HER MOTHER AND APOLOGIZES FOR HER ABSENCE, BUT IT’S TOO LATE. LYING IN HER BED, SHE SAYS GOODBYE TO THE GHOST OF HER HUSBAND AND FINALLY ACCEPTS HIS PASSING AS SIRENS APPROACH HER HOME.
GRIEF
LOSING SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE WORLD. EVERYONE PROCESSES THEIR GRIEF DIFFERENTLY AND WILL FEEL IT SOMETIME IN THEIR LIFE.
GRIEF PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN STAGES. AS DALILA PROCESSES HER GRIEF, IT’S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT HER FAMILY AND HER FRIENDS WANT HER. IT IS GRIEF THAT ATTRACTS THE FIGURE TO DALILA AND LEADS TO HER ISOLATION AND HER DOWNWARD SPIRAL.
COVID ERA
THIS SHORT FILM IS SET DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF COVID. DURING A TIME OF ISOLATION, LONELINESS, AND UNCERTAINTY FOR EVERYONE.
HAVING THE FILM SET DURING COVID PROVIDES A VULNERABLE SETTING FOR DALILA, MAKING HER AN EASY TARGET FOR MALEVOLENT FORCES.
Stages dives into loss, love, and depression, all the while having to do it alone during a pandemic. After losing my father in 2018, I watched my mother go through the different stages of grief, as well as myself going through my own process. We had very different responses and were always in different stages, but it taught me real loss. All of sudden, sad songs made sense, I could relate to more characters in the films I watched, and could empathize with anyone who has lost someone important to them. Luckily, my family was able to process our loss together.
Then 2020 came around and the pandemic hit. COVID19 was everywhere, people I loved were having to go through their hardships alone. At first I was optimistic that it would go quickly, but as time passed, I started to feel a different type of grief. I was lucky. I had friends that stayed in contact, I had a husband, family close by during the pandemic. But I couldn't help imagining what it would be like to go through all of this alone.
This film combines my own experience with the pandemic and with my experiences of loss. Certain scenes are inspired by real events. My best friend had COVID when it first broke out and she was not allowed to go to the hospital until she could no longer speak.
I tested positive well into the pandemic. When I told my husband to stay away, he thought I was joking and tried to step forward to comfort me. I instinctively took a step back, trying to keep distance between us. It was one of the loneliest times of my life, despite my husband only being down the hall.
People handle grief differently, but it's completely different when you have to do it alone. When you're willing to do anything to have just one more moment with the person you lost. Stages captures a moment in time, that we will hopefully all learn from and be able to move forward.
CLAIRE HAINES IS A VIDEO EDITOR, DIRECTOR, WRITER, AND PRODUCER, WORKING ACROSS DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND PRODUCTIONS. HAINES HAS WORKED IN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, PRODUCED LIVE EDUCATIONAL CONTENT AT ADOBE, AND ADVERTISING FOR COMPANIES SUCH AS GOPRO, ELECTRONIC ARTS, AND ADOBE.
WHILE WORKING FOR BIG COMPANIES, HAINES HAS PRODUCED AND EDITED AWARD-WINNING INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILMS, SHORT FILMS, AND MUSIC VIDEOS. SHE HAS BEEN AWARDED BEST EDITING, BEST SOUND DESIGN, AND PRODUCED CATEGORICAL WINNING FILMS IN FESTIVALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND HAS EARNED RECOGNITION INTERNATIONALLY. A SEASONED HORROR EDITOR, HAINES IS READY TO TAKE UP THE REINS AND DIRECT HER 3RD SHORT FILM.
WRITER/DIRECTOR
PRODUCER
HALEY BALDWIN WORKS FULL-TIME IN FLIM PRODUCTION IN THE SAN FRANCISCO, BAY AREA AS A PRODUCER, 1ST AD AND PRODUCTION ASSISTANT. HER PASSION OF THE PRODUCER ROLE STEMS FROM HER LOVE OF NARRATIVE STORYTELLING, AND HER PRIDE IN ENSURING INCLUSIVE, SAFE, AND HARMONIOUS SETS.
HER MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE PRODUCER AND 1ST AD ON THE AWARD-WINNING UP-BEAT DARK-COMEDY, "THE LAST DAY OF RETROGRADE AND PRODUCER/1ST AD OF THE COMEDIC SHORT FILM, "THE MEET CUTE".
HALEY GOT HER START IN FILM IN 2013 AT THE IDYLLWILD ARTS ACADEMY WHERE SHE WAS AWARDED THE SCREENWRITERS GUILD AWARD.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTGRAPHY
JORDYN ROACH IS A CINEMATOGRAPHER RAISED AND ROOTED IN THE MOODY PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SHE THRIVES IN THE DARKER VISUAL REALM WHERE THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN REALITY AND BEYOND BECOMES TWISTED. AFTER WORKING ON MULTIPLE HORROR AND THRILLER SHORT FILMS, JORDYN HAS DISCOVERED THE GENRE’S UNIQUE ABILITY TO CONFRONT GREATER TRUTHS THROUGH PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION FO NIGHTMARES.
SOME OF HER PAST WORK INCLUDES KAMERON GATES’ “HOLD YOUR BREATH”, ADAM CORNELIUS’ “GOB”, JEN ROWE’S “CAPAX INFINITI", AND KATE WOODMAN’S “SOLSTICE”.
COMPOSERS
ALEXA L. BORDEN & CONNOR COOK ARE AN AWARD-WINNING FILM COMPOSITING DUO AND MULTI-INSTRUMENTALISTS BASED OUT OF LOS ANGELES. THEY HAVE BEEN COMPOSING FILM SCORES TOGETHER SINCE 2015 AND HAVE COLLABORATED OVER 50 PROJECTS, INCLUDING AWARD-WINNING SHORT AND FEATURE FILMS, LIVE MUSICALS, AND SONG PRODUCTION.
THE COMBINATION OF BOTH WOMEN'S CLASSICAL TRAINING, CONNOR'S APPALACHIAN FOLK MUSIC ROOTS, AND ALEXA'S UPBRINGING IN CLASSIC ROCK LENDS TO AN ECLECTIC YET VERSATILE SOUND THAT ALLOWS THEM TO BE ESPECIALLY EQUIPPED TO WRITE IN A WIDE VARIETY OF MUSICAL GENRES AND STYLES. THEY FREQUENTLY INCORPORATE SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL SAMPLES, AND LIVE INSTRUMENTS INT HEIR SCORES, MAKING FOR A UNIQUE AND SPECIALIZED SOUND FOR EACH PROJECT.
ACTRESS - DALILA
NATALIA DOMINGUEZ IS A SALVADORAN-AMERICAN THEATRICAL AND COMMERCIAL ACTOR BASED IN LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO, CA. SHE STARRED AS "MARCELLA" IN THE NETFLIX FILM, FRESHMAN YEAR, AND AS "KRIS" IN THE UPCOMING FILM, THE ALTERNATE. NATALIA HAS ALSO APPEARED IN CHICANO BATMAN MUSIC VIDEO, "DARK STAR", AND HAS BEEN FEATURED IN COMMERCIALS FOR LUCASFILM, OCULUS, DOVE, SENTINELONE, EBAY, APPLE, CLOROX, AND GOOGLE.
ORIGINALLY FROM EAST PALO ALTO, CA, NATALIA WAS RAISED BY A SINGLE MOTHER ALONGSIDE HER THREE OLDER BROTHERS. HER DESIRE TO EXPRESS HERSELF AS A CHILD LED HER TO BEGIN ACTING IN HER CHURCH'S STAGE PRODUCTIONS. AS SHE GREW UP, NATALIA HAD TO FIGHT THE STATUS QUO AND THE STEREOTYPES AROUND HER UPBRINGING IN ORDER TO FOLLOW HER ACTING DREAMS. HER RESILIENCE, FOCUS, AND ARTISTRY HAS BEEN FURTHER DEVELOPED BY HER PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AT Z/A STUDIOS, UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE, HOWARD FINE, WHERE SHE HAS STUDIED IN ON-CAMERA ACTING, IMPROVE, VOICE, AND DANCE.
ACTRESS - BROOKE
ELANA SWARTZ IS AN ACTRESS AND MODEL BASED IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA. SHE IS ORIGINALLY FROM THE BEAUTIFUL SHENANDOAH VALLEY IN VIRGINIA AND WORKED THROUGHOUT THE WASHINGTON D.C./MARYLAND AREA BEFORE RELOCATIONG TO THE BAY IN 2021.
HER MOST RECENT THEATER PRODUCTIONS INCLUDE: TWELFTH NIGHT (OLIVIA) AND MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (HERO/SEACOAL) WITH THE BERKELEY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, PICNIC (MADGE OWENS), THE SEAGULL (NINA), AND THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION OF STAINED GLASS (TINKERBELLE). ELANA HAS BEEN FEATURED IN COMMERCIALS FOR ROSETTA STONE, DEVIL'S BACKBONE BREWERY CO, HILLS BROS. COFFEE, SURVEY MONKEY, AND MORE!
ACTRESS - MADRE
LEE TSOFLIAS IS A PROFESSIONAL ACTRESS WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF ON CAMERA AND VOICEOVER EXPERIENCE. SHE RECENTLY PLAYED ABUELA IN THE SHORT "ALEX IS A QUEEN" BY BRAVEMAKER FILMS, A PLEASED GRANDMOTHER WHO KNOWS HER TECH IN AN AUTHENTICID SPOT AND RECORDED VOICE OVERS FOR ANCESTRY AS HEARD ON CNN.
LEE COMPLETED THE BENNET THEATRE LAB'S THREE YEAR TRAINING PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO STUDYING MEISNER AND ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE. SHE HAS A BFA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN. WHERE SHE JOYOUSLY HURLED PAINT ON LARGE CANVASES FOR FOUR YEARS!
A FOUNDING MEMEBER OF BAREWITNESS FILMS, LEE HAS PERFORMED AND DIRECTED MANY SHORT FILMS AS WELL AS CREATED THE ROLE OF CHARLENE IN THE FULL LENGTH FEATURE IPO BY ENLIGHTENED FILMS THAT PLAYED AT SLAMDANCE.
ASSISTANT SFX MAKEUP ARTIST
SIERRA NEVIN IS A COSMETOLOGIST, SFX MAKEIP ARTIST, AND ACTRESS BASED IN SACRAMENTO, CA. SHE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR HORROR MOVIES AND THE CREATIVE SIDE OF HOW TO CREATE A MONSTER.
HER EDUCATION INCLUDES GRADUATING FROM SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE IN COSMETOLOGY, TAKING COLLEGIATE CLASSES FOR SFX AND THEATRICAL MAKEUP, AND PERFORMING ON STAGE FOR 10 YEARS. SHER HAS EXPERIENCE IN HAND MADE PROSETHETICS, SCULPTING, PAINTING, BRUISING, AND BLOOD...LOTS OF BLOOD!
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
BROOKE FREEMAN IS A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT AND ACTRESS BASED IN LOS ANGELES AND THE SAN FRANCISCO, BAY AREA. SHE THRIVES IN BEING A HELPING HAND AND CREATING VISUAL ART. BEING NEW TO THE INDUSTRY, SHE IS A SPONGE FOR KNOWLEDGE AND SOAKS UP ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING FROM SETS, THEN BRINGS IT HOOME TO HER OWN PERSONAL CREATIVE WORK.
BROOKE HAS WORKED WITH CODE BEAR MEDIA AS A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT.
