ON SCENE: Scenarios USA Celebrates Aspiring Filmmakers

It hurts to be misunderstood. Cast upon society’s outback to decay like left-over dinner.

It hurts just as much to live with mental illness; with it’s labels and it’s unlucky, negative stigmas. In both instances, you’re effectively locked inside the most trapping of prison cells. The prison of the mind and body.

“Cut in Half” and “Split Persona”, professionally made films conjured by high school students Leen Shumman and Mayraleeh Nelson, describe just that. They strive to change the game; ripping conventional story-telling at the seams as both films host a testament to the greatest of challenges: an inner duel against the self.

The movies were hosted by Scenarios USA, a national non-profit aimed at fostering the youth. Co-founded by Maura Minsky, ran in tandem with Ashley August, Tiauna Clark, and kick-started by Hip-Hop duo Ubuntu Theory, Scenarios provided more than simple platform to relish in: they prepared the ark. And gave the winners a send-off to remember, live-stream and all.

Nevertheless, the films take creative ventures to new heights, with stark emphasis on family and raw, emotional tenure.

“Cut in Half” is story of sisterhood, directed by Susan Seidelman. The narrative follows the tribulations of a Muslim family as they deal with the Leukemia diagnosis of Layla, the eldest daughter. Cut in Half explores the moral implications of life and death decisions, especially as it pertains to the feelings of our other heroine, played by Shumman herself. According to Shumman, the primary goal of the film is to address Muslim culture and display the positives of a lifestyle criticized and undermined by it’s more vocal participants.

 “Split Persona”, under a similar vein of family-related issues, is directed by Bradley Rust Gray. The story concerns twin sisters Karrie and Jalissa Crespo as they deal with the suicidal impulses of their mother. Split Persona delves into the complications of depression and the fragility of sibling relationships. The depressive parent, although a catalyst to the films emotional repertoire, ironically takes a backseat to the dynamic of the sibling duet, of whom Persona displays in heart-rending fashion. The film concludes on a somber note of optimism, with the realization of hope being not so far off.

The end of the night had the audience question the very foundations of their character. How do we define ourselves? Can we apply labels to the complexity of our temporal experiences?

And to this end, it was quite successful.

Link to both films can be viewed here:

Split Persona:
http://bit.ly/SplitFilm

Cut in Half:
http://bit.ly/HalfFilm