Blue Hour
Director: J.D. Shields
United States, 2023, 16 min
Shooting Format:Digital Alexa
Festival Year:2023
Category:Narrative Short
Cast:Doyin Domingo, Diamond Taylor
Crew:Writer: J.D. Shields. Producers: Diana Ward, Lauren Avioam, Maya Korn.
Email:jessica.d.shields@gmail.com
Synopsis
Two personal journeys intersect when a struggling young photographer is hired for a cheap last minute portrait gig. The unfolding photo session, while transient, leaves an indelible mark on both women.
Trailer
About the director
J.D. Shields is an award-winning writer/director from Atlanta, Georgia. Currently a Story Editor on EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK and Staff Writer on THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, she’s developed projects with Emmy-nominated showrunner Leslye Headland and Marsai Martin's Genius Entertainment and has written for DreamWorks TV Animation, Wondery and Sony Pictures Entertainment. An alumna of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, her short film BLUE HOUR is sponsored by Women in Film. J.D. received the HUMANITAS Prize College Drama Award and has participated in the DGE (Disney) Writing Program, the HBOAccess Writing Program, and Film Independent’s Project Involve. She earned her MFA in Screenwriting & Directing from Columbia University, having previously studied at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore. She holds a BA in English & Theater from Vanderbilt University.
Filmmaker's note
BLUE HOUR is a meditation on the intensity of transitory moments, the fleeting exchanges and interactions that have the power to alter your mood, day or life. Often it is only with the clarity of hindsight that we can identify these moments. Rarely does one sense the tectonic shift as it's happening. Rene and Jaz are aware of the emotional exchange passing between them and we, like them, are left to wonder how this encounter will leave an indelible mark and shape the course of their lives.