Isolating the one moment in time, when you have the power to make a choice that can save a life.
STORY
Ruby, who has lost her mother at birth to gun violence, works as a rookie cop in LA. One night she pulls her gun to stop a robbery, only to find herself aiming it at a pregnant woman. Suddenly she‘s in the same situation, as when she was born. Only now, the roles are reversed.
Based on a true story, this short-film is as much a police-thriller, as it is a family drama.
This story is about understanding;
having compassion for; and claiming family lineage.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
'Born on the 5th of July' is a film about making a difficult decision under the most challenging circumstances. Following a female police officer at night, we experience with her what it means to pull a gun on a human. We learn what it means to be forced to make a choice in a split-second: pull the trigger, but endanger the life of an innocent or make sure the innocent life is protected, but risk letting an armed criminal get away.
Before coming to the American Film Institute to study, I worked as a TV journalist in the Middle East, covering for BBC Arabic and ARTE the stories of the people trapped in some of the most vicious and long-running conflicts in modern history.
One night when driving home, a Scud rocket was fired in the direction of my rental. We were three people inside, all screaming different things while the rocket was coming closer:
‘Drive faster!’
‘Stop!’
‘Pull it from the road!!!’
What I did was hit the brakes and stop the car at once, but my door was jammed, I couldn't get out.
While my passengers hid in a ditch, my only option was to sink low in my seat and hope the engine block would protect me from the rocket’s shrapnel.
I was very lucky to survive that day. There truly must be a guardian angel in this universe looking out for me.
Now that I have been granted the privilege to study film-directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, I would like to give something of value back to the audience. I would like to provide people with the opportunity to experience safely, what it feels like to make a choice about life and death in the blink of an eye.
THE TEAM
Daniel Carsenty - Director, Writer
After finishing his first feature film 'After Spring Comes Fall' in 2015, which won the award for Best Feature at the Vilmos Szigmond Festival in Sziget, Hungary, Daniel worked as a TV journalist in the Middle East, covering the lives of ordinary people stuck in the midst of bloody conflicts for BBC Arabic and the French-German TV channel ARTE.
His second feature 'The Devil's Drivers', a documentary about human traffic supported by the Doha Film Institute, is currently in post-production and will celebrate it's festival premiere by the end of this year. Daniel makes films that challenge his audiences's perception of ethics and morality. The characters in his stories face the dillemma of being forced to make decisions about life and death, his work is deeply influenced by his aspirations for social justice and human rights.
Currently he is pursuing his MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
Katerina Hoyo Frederickson - Producer, Writer
Katerina Hoyo Frederickson is a Greek-American filmmaker who has written, directed, and produced the shorts This Man of Our Dreams (2018), The Hearts of Geeks and Cougars (2018), Terminal Submersion (2017), A Stally Night (2017).
She worked as Associate Producer/Assistant Director for the series Bombshell (2019), Line Producer for the features The Jungle Book (2019), Hercules, Houdini, Holmes (2018), and Production Designer for the feature The Picture of Dorian Gray (2017).
She earned Bachelor degrees in French from California State University and a Bachelor degree in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production, from the Art Institute, where she was Class Valedictorian. She also earned her Executive MBA and certification in Project Management from the University of California, Riverside. Currently, she works as Development Director for the Los Angeles Greek FIlm Festival.
Zicen ‘Jo’ Zhou -Cinematographer
Zicen is a cinematographer from China and living in the United States for many years. She started working on the production team at GOLF CHANNEL LIVE for two years. She is a dreamer, and her passion for film leads her into a new stage of life. She is earning her MFA in Film Production-Cinematography from the American Film Institute, lead by American Society of Cinematographers president Stephen Lighthill. She has the power of observation to transfer delicate awareness to visual images. She concentrates on exploring the sense and sensibility in the cinematography world. She Filmed and participated in several shorts as Huvyr, Murder RX, Courage to Stand and screened them at the film festivals.
Xiaojie Wu - Editor
Xiaojie is a film editor from Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, China. She worked as an accountant in NYC for 5 years before pivoting her career to visual arts and storytelling. Xiaojie started studying film after getting her junior graphic designer certificate. She loves filmmaking in general, but realized editing is the one that truly speaks to her heart. Xiaojie directed and edited several short films, "Abby!" "Don't Wake Me Up" and a music video, "INB4" by Push Push which gained 7.5k views, pre-AFI. Xiaojie is currently in her second year at AFI as an editing fellow, she loves to explore the layers of characters and story, two of her favorite filmmakers are Wong Kar-wai and Lars von Trier.
Gustavo Martins - Story Editor
Gustavo Martins is a Brazilian-born comedy writer. He is known for co-writing The First Temptation of Christ (2019), a Netflix Christmas special that caused a great deal of controversy in Brazil for depicting a humorous re-imagination of Jesus Christ's 30th birthday. Several conservative and religious organizations protested against the special, to the point that the Supreme Court of Brazil was called upon to rule on it's legality (they ruled in favor).
Prior to that, he had a 10-year long career in Brazilian TV, including late shows like Agora é Tarde (2011), The Noite com Danilo Gentili (2014) and Programa do Porchat (2016), where he became the show's head writer. He also acted as director and head writer in some of MTV Brazil standout comedy shows, like Furo MTV (2009) and Comédia MTV (2010).
In 2019, he was admitted as a fellow at the American Film Institute Master in Fine Arts Screenwriting program, in Los Angeles.
American Film Institute Conservatory
At the world-renowned AFI Conservatory, a dedicated group of working professionals from the film and television communities serve as mentors in a hands-on, production-based environment nurturing the talents of tomorrow’s storytellers. The Conservatory is consistently recognized as one of the world’s top film schools.
With an emphasis on narrative visual storytelling and personal expression, each class breaks into teams that mirror a real production environment. Those teams collaborate on and produce more films than any other graduate level film program.
Established in 1969, the two-year Master of Fine Arts program provides training in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Admission to AFI Conservatory is highly selective, with a maximum of only 140 graduates per year.
“EVERY PERPETRATOR IS A VICTIM.”
PLEASE DONATE, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU BE PART OF THIS MAJOR MILESTONE IN OUR LIVES
YOUR DONATION MAY BE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
• On-Screen Credit - Donor
Digital Link to Film
Newsletter and Updates
• On-screen Credit - Patron
An Insider link to the film
Digital Link to Film
Newsletter and Updates
• On-screen Credit - Partner
An Insider link to the film
Official poster
Digital Copy of Film
Newsletter and Updates
• On-screen Credit - Sponsor
Copy of Film
Crew Hat
Official poster
An invitation to the LA premiere at AFI
Newsletter and Updates
• On-screen Title Card Credit - Associate Producer
IMDb Credit-Associate Producer
Copy of the Film
A poster
A personal thank you video from our team, from the set
Signed Copy of the Script
An invitation and a plus one to the LA premiere at AFI and after party
Crew Hat
Newsletter and Updates
• On-screen Credit- Executive Producer
IMDB credit - Executive Producer
A Copy of the Film
Two tickets to the LA Festival Premiere and After Party of the film
A personal thank you video from our team, from the set
A get-together with the actors and key members of the crew after wrapping the production
Crew Hat
A signed official poster
A signed copy of the script
A signed slate from the set
Newsletter and Updates
The American Film Institute is a Government recognized 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization and holds tax-exempt status. Donations made toward “Born on the 5th of July” may be tax deductible under Section 170 of the U.S. Tax Code. A letter of acknowledgement from AFI will be sent for all contributions.
For any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Producer, Katerina Hoyo Frederickson at the form below.
You can also donate by mail…
Make check payable to "American Film Institute." Note "Born on the 5th of July” #2117" in the check memo. Please include a return address with the check so AFI can send a letter acknowledging the donation.
Send check to:
Thesis #2117, Born on the 5th of July
c/o American Film Institute
2021 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
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We will happily accept all kinds of donations, even if they're not in currency form, and you will make it to the credits!
These can be as important and helpful as monetary donations:
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