1) What was the impetus of your short?

Jenny: I lived and worked in Azerbaijan for two-and-a-half years. When I moved to South Brooklyn, I found myself spending a lot of time in Sheepshead Bay, which is home to the largest Azerbaijani community in the United States. Lydia and I met in the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio, and we connected over our interest in the intergenerational experiences of women.

Lydia: We ended up meeting Narmin's mom Mina when we had lunch at the family’s restaurant one day. Mina essentially pitched us the story of her 15-year-old daughter Narmin and her 84-year-old mother Ismat (Narmin's grandmother). We were told that they shared a bedroom, fought constantly, but loved each other unconditionally.

We were intrigued by what Mina described as the parallel experiences of Ismat and Narmin—both women are obligated to spend time in situations that are outside their cultural and social comfort zones. As women co-directors, we wanted to make a film that could portray the unique bonds of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters.

 2) What was the process of developing the aesthetics and visual language of your film?

Jenny: We knew most of the film would take place in the family's apartment, so we were challenged to think creatively about how to capture the space. We were influenced by the still and prismatic style of Martin DiCiccio’s All That Passes By a Window That Doesn’t Open and the intimate feel of Lynne Sach’s Your Day Is My Night. We wanted to contrast static shots in moments of domesticity with handheld movement for scenes with more action and chaos.

3) What was your approach to assembling the crew for this short and how did you tackle the challenges of having a successful shoot as a team?

Lydia: As part of the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio, we were tasked with creating short documentaries in three-person teams. It was a challenge to shoot and record sound ourselves while also observing and making creative decisions in real time. Sometimes we’d split up when shooting, as we had different connections to the family. Jenny was pregnant with her first child, so she could ask new-mom questions to Mina and Ismat, whereas I was 23 and didn’t feel too many years beyond Narmin’s age and high school experience. Our shoot days were always a joy—we fell into a routine of shooting at the family's apartment most Saturdays, and after we'd wrap, they'd serve us home-cooked Azeri food. They really welcomed us into their home like friends, which was incredibly touching.

 Jenny: We asked filmmaker Ansh Vohra to edit the film because he connected with the intergenerational family dynamic. He did a beautiful job establishing the relationships between characters and balancing humor and heart.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently (new or old, short or feature) that you really loved and why?

Lydia: We’re a couple years late on this, but we just watched Manuel Abramovich’s short documentary La Reina. It’s a beautiful portrait of an 11-year-old girl named Memi who competes in a beauty pageant in Argentina. We loved the intimate shooting style, the juxtaposition of the adults’ discourse with Memi’s experience, and the way the story was told through subtle glances and facial expressions.

5) What are you working on now?

Lydia:  I’m finishing up a short documentary about an insect farm in Florida.

Jenny: I'm not working on any new films at the moment – just taking care of my baby and working in reality tv! 

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http://www.lydiacornett.com | IG: @lydiacornett

IG: @jennygroza