On June 16th I attended the world premiere of Savitree, Richie Shazam’s new short film at Tribeca Film Festival. Shazam’s directorial debut honoring the Converse Pride campaign, celebrated Found Family.
Found Family, the people met on the journey to Pride who surround us with love, support and acceptance. For Richie, at the age of 18 that was life long friends Briana Andalore and Julia Fox. She felt an instant connection to Fox whom she said was the life of the party. They both gave each other the strength to live life unapologetically themselves despite the odds stacking against them.
Shazam’s film explores what it means to live outside your body. Often using the subway as a point of escape, Shazam found herself spending hours upon hours riding anywhere in the city. This helped her feel free, when her home life was otherwise in shambles.
The screening was followed by a Q&A moderated by Shazam’s good friend Julia Fox. The two of them on stage were full of life and wanted to share as many stories as they could about life when they first met. For the two of them, it was a full circle moment being on stage. Shazam could not emphasize enough how important this film was for her but also for her friends whom she lost throughout the journey. It is important for her to not only tell her story but the story of those no longer here.
After the Q&A there was a huge party in celebration of the screening. Attendees dressed beautifully and were treated to an open bar and bite size snacks. The DJ was playing the best music including everything from Bad Bunny to Britney Spears. Richie and her friends took in the moment for all of its glory.
