May Spotlight Film:

Shipwreck (2021)

A Short film written and directed by Lisa Cole

The May Spotlight film for our Alumni Curated Short Film Channel is Shipwreck (2021), written and directed by Lisa Cole.

Shot on iPhone 11 Pro camera during the pandemic lockdown in Los Angeles, Shipwreck is a lyrical portrait of a young girl navigating grief, loss, and sense of identity.

As Lisa writes: "Like many people, my family and I have endured challenges during the pandemic, including navigating intense emotional terrain individually and as a biracial family. Working with my own children as actors in Shipwreck, the film became an avenue for our personal expression." Shipwreck has won several awards and is currently in 14 film festivals.

Shipwreck is incredibly intimate because Lisa tapped into the grief of this moment in history, but this feeling is enhanced by shooting on a phone with such a small crew. The core cinematic language is strengthened through these limitations. The emotional qualities of each scene are allowed to breathe, and the feelings she and her family had during the pandemic come through crystal clear.

As Lisa says, “I wanted to find a way to express some of these emotions on film while paying homage to the collective loss facing our world. The goal was to film safely with a minuscule crew and create something impactful with limited resources on hand.”

Lisa Cole is an award winning writer and director. She co-wrote the narrative screenplay, Girl Named Sue, filming in 2021 and starring Shailene Woodley, produced by Laura Bickford and Jean-Marc Vallee. She was a Student Academy Awards regional Finalist and the 2019 Stowe Story Labs / Final Draft Fellow.

Lisa has directed films for the Gates Foundation and Sundance Networks. She is also a board member of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and graduated from Loyola Marymount University.

Scroll down to watch Lisa’s beautiful film, Shipwreck.

We want to thank our Alumni Shorts Film Committee for their time and dedication to the community and the films. Alumni may submit a short film anytime here. No fee for submission.