Story

In "A Moment In Perpetuity," we delve into the monotonous life of Alexis, a young woman caught in a cycle of routine and familial discord. Each day begins with her waking up tired, going through her morning rituals, and attempting to motivate her sister, Tami, to attend school. Despite Alexis's efforts, Tamzin remains indifferent, causing friction between them.

As the days pass, Alexis notices strange occurrences that unsettle her. Despite her efforts to maintain control and perfection in her appearance and routine, she feels like something is missing. The monotony is broken when Alexis discovers glass in her coffee, signaling a disturbing shift in her reality. This event triggers a confrontation with Tami and leads Alexis to accompany her sister to school, desperate to break the cycle of indifference and routine.

Just as she bids her farewell at the door, she ponders into the mirror before leaving. However, she notices something. The TV she just turned off is back on again. She overhears the news report about a local school bus crash in her area. She comes back to the dining room. Alexis, sat by the dining table, lets a tear shed as she comes face to face with what happened to her younger sister.

Why our film?

'This film is something that means a lot to me, the director. It's an exploration of the human psyche, and how small events can become big things in someone's life. When I came up with the concept for the film with my co-writer, Mary, I reflected on Alexis' character and how sometimes I can create unrealistic expectations for myself. We all know nobody can be perfect, but we still look to be something we're not. I wanted to delve deeper into why we feel guilty for things we can't change, and I wanted to explore familial relationships as this is something I've been working on myself. This film has a bricolage of references from films I've loved, and I wanted to work to create something that can break those negative stereotypes around guilt and trauma and show it is okay to revel in those emotions, and process what's happening to you.' 

This is a London based production, made by UAL students, and brought to you from people all over the world. We plan to shoot during March 2024, getting a final cut complete by June and releasing to film festivals promptly after screenings and in-house approvals. We've cut our costs through hiring out equipment with the university, but we still need your help in covering everything else.

CREW:

Director

Aaron Kokolay is an accomplished filmmaker whose journey began as an actor in high school and evolved into directing and cinematography by age 16. As a Burmese-British director, his filmwork is inspired by several different cultures all over the world. With an keen eye for visuals and a background in post-production, he is by no doubt a seasoned and experienced director, ready to take on whatever challenges may come forth in the production of his work. One of his previous films he edited for, namely "Belonging and the Scene", recently earned recognition at the London Global Awards.

With several years of experience under his belt, he excels in shaping and creating unique narratives, specialising in experimental and untraditional film. As a co-writer for the film, Aaron has written the characters from personal experience, with a clear understanding of their deepest thoughts. This will ensure that his work with the actors will be nothing but committed to bringing a truthful and realistic performance.

Director of Photography

Mary Preda began her passion in film through working in theatre, instigating her passion for production design and create her own films college onward. As a graduate of the BFI Film Academy (2022) as an editor, she has since worked on small documentaries such as the “Junk Shop” where she worked on 2 different stop-motion animations and produced “Chatica”. Now she wants to portray the emotions she showed on the stage, on screen.

As the co-writer for A Moment in Perpetuity, Mary understands the intent and drama of the film, and will work with Aaron to ensure that the camera techniques and visual style reflects the mood and atmosphere of the film. Her Romanian background means that Mary has an appreciation of the specific techniques found in Romanian cinema, such as the long hand held shots, that she will utilise for effect in this film.

Lead Production Designer

Munira Khan has plenty of ideas to bring to the table for production design, with several years of experience working on films beforehand. She has worked with Aaron extensively to understand the vision and intent of the film, and intently created Alexis' home based on character descriptions crafted by the writers of this story.

Lighting, hazing and prop placement have all contributed to the storytelling of this project, ensuring that a surrealist and dream-like world has been created, ensuring that the viewer can really understand what is going on behind Alexis' eyes. Small details such as props, costume and makeup have all contributed to the showcase of the personality behind both our characters', Alexis and Tami.

Head of Sound Department

Louis Everitt is the head of sound for our film. Sound is crucial for the film, from the glass shatter of the photo frame, to the slam of the door. It'll take our film from one scene to the next. With experience on working in documentary and fiction for several projects, he's ensuring that we get every crisp detail.

Louis has worked in SFX for post production too, and will create an immersive experience that can take us from scene to scene without hesitation. Creating the soundscape would prove to be a challenge, but by working with Aaron, we can ensure that a realistic and surrealist feeling can be sensed by the audience, and we can see and hear the world through Alexis' eyes.

CAST:

Alexis

Eliza Sunderland is a British female actress, starring as the main protagonist Alexis.

Alexis is a 25 year old female, born and raised in England. As a driven and ambitious woman, she strives for perfection, making sure everything from her outfit to her mannerisms are on point before leaving for work. After her parents died, she was left to look after her younger sister, Tami. Trying to get by with long working hours and a tight budget as she keeps up the old family house, her sister Tami refuses to cooperate. As the days go by, she loses her grip on reality, beginning to question herself and realise that she must confront the truth that has been awaiting her all this time...

Tami

Barnokhon Khodzhaeva is an Uzbekistani female actress, starring as Alexis' younger sister, Tami.

Tami is a 17 year old school girl, sporting a perpetually dishevelled appearance, wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a hoodie. As the younger sister of Alexis, she's still getting accustomed to her parents not being around, and having Alexis as a parental figure. The originally happy-go-lucky kid has begun to give up on going to school, and it's part of Alexis' regular routine to have to nag and send her off. As the days go on, Tami's role in Alexis' life slowly becomes clearer...

Production Costs

How you can help us:

Your money will go toward funding young filmmakers, and helping us achieve our goals with this project. We want to make the best possible film, and that can mean it gets expensive. We're only students, and a lot of the expenses are covered by ourselves.

Our production designer and talent have helped out with covering costs, such as hair and makeup. As well as this, the university have provided some support by providing equipment and some small funding, but we still have other costs to cover. This includes:

• Actresses' transport to and from set
• Location costs
• Transport for the equipment and crew members
• Production design for the location
• Catering for cast members (on days where catering aren't pre-booked)
• Distribution onto services and into film festivals

This all roughly comes to around £800.

Any small donation, or even a reshare of our page can make a massive difference in supporting our talent, as well as an independent film crew in the heart of London. Thank you.