GAME BRUNCH
Synopsis
More than eating is in store when a couple invites friends over for a Sunday brunch.
Credits
Christina Raia – Writer, Director, & Producer
Peter Westervelt – Cinematographer
Matt Gershowtiz – Editor
Alexandra Kalinowski – Composer
Ricardo Manigat – Key Cast
Ricki Lynee – Key Cast
Dani Thomas – Key Cast
Alexander Alvarez – Key Cast
Jen Bendick – Key Cast
Miranda LeeAnn – Key Cast
Director Statement
“Game Brunch” came out of my weekly writers’ group, where we encourage each other to come in with new pages or pitches every time we meet up. After working on some darker projects, I wanted to jump into something light-hearted with actors I’ve loved working with in the past or have wanted to work with for a while. I sat down one evening and tried to come up with the idea that could be shot in my apartment and could work as a short ensemble piece. I made a list of actors and started thinking about how I could pair them up. I recalled a game night I hosted years ago and found myself chuckling at the notion of revolving an entire film around one specific word (which I can’t reveal — you’ll have to watch the film). I started writing, and an hour later, I had an absurd 15-page script. When I sent it out to my writing group members and some other trusted writers to read, everyone got a kick out of it and really encouraged me to direct it. A couple even said, “please make it!” It was exciting to see such a positive response, especially from the actors I had in mind. They all eagerly accepted the roles. Like me, I thought they needed a break from the overwhelming amount of things to be outraged about in the world and loved the idea of just focusing on making something fun. And what fun it was to make! I hope it’s just as much fun to watch!
Director Biography
Christina Raia is a New York City-based writer/director and the founder of CongestedCat Productions. With an affinity for ensemble pieces and punchy dialogue, she focuses on character-driven and socially conscious horror and comedy, using genre as a lens to represent, discuss and dissect social issues, otherness, and real-world anxieties. Her work, consisting of over a dozen short films, a web series, and two feature films, has screened at film festivals worldwide with coverage on press outlets such as Indiewire and BuzzFeed. Her mixed-race background and particularly her mother’s Indo-Trinidadian culture play a major role in Christina’s interest in portraying underrepresented perspectives across diverse spectrums of identity in her writing and directing. In addition to hitting the festival circuit with her latest short film, “Game Brunch,” she aims to spend 2021 on development for her third feature, Silent Night, the screenplay for which she was a quarter-finalist in Slamdance’s 2016 Screenplay Competition. Find Christina on social media: @craia9.
