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Celeste & the Cyan Sun
TYPE: Narrative Short
GENRE: Student Film
STATUS: Pre-Production
LOGLINE
On her last day in Italy, a young woman finds herself swept away by a new intimate friendship towards reckless abandon and tragic circumstances.
SYNOPSIS
PRINCE (female, 30’s) meets CELESTE (female, 30’s) on her last day in Italy. What begins as a liberating and joyful experience becomes corrupted when Celeste won’t respect Prince’s boundaries, and the two hurtle towards a breaking point on the edge of the rocky Italian coast.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Inspired by an experience while traveling abroad with a friend, juxtaposed with abuse at the hand of a stranger, Claire had to process the reality of a traumatic experience within the context of what was supposed to be – and had been – a joyful vacation. This film creates the feeling of nostalgia, beauty, and abandon only to reach a pinnacle moment of realization where the protagonist’s bubble pops, the fairytale magic is gone, and the only choice left is how to move forward.
KEY CREW
Claire Jamison - Director/ Co-Writer
Claire (she/they) is an actor and filmmaker, originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Harpswell, Maine. Claire received her BFA in acting from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theater Arts (‘13) where she was the recipient of the Patricia Kerr Ross Award for “originality, excellence, and promise in the arts.” Based in Brooklyn, NY Claire has continued to create and perform theater, film, and television with the goal of building community at the forefront. In February 2017, Claire founded Power of People Combined (POPC) to create work which produces artist-led events to benefit organizations helping communities in need (such as for RAICES, the IRC, and Climate-Refugees). With a focus in directing, she’s currently an MFA candidate in the 2026 class at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, Brooklyn College. In the spring of 2024 Claire was anonymously nominated by her professors for the New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) scholarship, which she received in fall of 2024. www.ClaireJamison.com
Nora Kaye - Co-Writer, Producer
Nora (she/her) is a MA-born, NYC-based filmmaker. Her work has played at Cannes and Seriesfest and includes The Cosmos Sisters (Gravitas Ventures, Amazon). She is currently writing a half-hour comedy about women in rugby, a feature-length cult love story, and is in post-production for the ultra-low budget improvised feature film Sinner Supper Club (co-director, actor, producer). She is a development intern with FilmNation (Anora, Promising Young Woman), and is pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. norakaye.com
Evan Starling-Davis - Producer
Evan Starling-Davis is a New York and California-based writer, producer, and curator who conjures portals through story—excavating everyday realities layered with the unseen, the forgotten, the fantastical, and what lies buried beneath the surface of society. In 2017, he co-founded ForUsFilms with writer-director Carlton Daniel Jr. Since then, Evan has cultivated a dynamic body of work across film and interdisciplinary media. His emergence as a producer has led to notable film credits including Monogamish (2017), which screened at over 20 festivals worldwide; Homegoing (2020), winner of the inaugural $40K CNY Short Film Competition and an official selection at Outfest, Palm Springs, Atlanta, and Miami Film Festivals— with Miami awarding it the Short Narrative Award; and Rebecca (2021), currently streaming on Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween. In addition to his film work, Evan is further developing Fracture (2023), an interactive, immersive XR/VR archival project alchemizing memory, technology, Afro-diasporic artifacts, and spirit, which premiered in partnership with Light Work’s Urban Video Project. Evan’s interdisciplinary work has been showcased in galleries, museums, and theaters internationally. He was recognized as a 2020 Special Mention James Baldwin Writer-in-Residence by Les Amis de la Maison Baldwin and served as a 2020–21 Public Humanities Fellow with Humanities New York. Evan is currently producing his debut feature film—an expanded adaptation of Homegoing—which was a finalist in the 2021 AT&T and Tribeca Film Festival’s Untold Stories pitch competition.
Chukwuemeka Chukwurah - DP, Co-Producer
Chukwuemeka Chukwurah (he/him) is a Nigerian-born cinematographer and producer based between Brooklyn and Lagos. His work spans documentary, narrative, and experimental film, shaped by an immigrant lens and a background in healthcare. He explores themes of culture, memory, identity, and the body with a focus on marginalized communities and intersectional stories. A graduate of the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema MFA program and Terre di Cinema 2024, he works across digital and film formats, creating images rooted in empathy and visual poetry. When not filming, he’s likely off-grid, horseback riding, or hiking upstate NY with his dog, Radar.
Hannah Hallock - Editor
Hannah (she/her) is an editor originally from Kansas City, now based in New York City. She earned her degree from Webster University with a B.A. in Film, Television, and Video Production. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles to begin her career as an assistant editor. Hannah has a wide background and has worked in commercials, broadcast, entertainment marketing, movie trailers, and television. She was recognized at the 75th Annual ACE Eddie Awards and was honored to receive the Anne V. Coates Award for her editing work. Hannah loves being an editor because it allows her to shape stories, evoke emotion, and bring creative visions to life.
Owen Jenney - Assistant Editor
Owen Jenney (he/him) is a Brooklyn born filmmaker specializing in post production. He earned his B.A. in History at SUNY Binghamton, focusing on Late Antiquity. Here, he developed a strong desire to piece together narratives that uncover the larger context of an era. While still studying history, Owen began teaching himself Premiere Pro to help his friends edit their music videos, and quickly. fell in love with the creative possibilities of storytelling through editing. He is currently continuing his studies at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, honing his skills in all editing software as well as VFX.
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