December 2, 2020

The Other Side

Josh Leong - 19, Sofia Bara - 20, Tom Ingwersen - 21
New York

Days before his 18th birthday, Abel (Ethan Herisse, "When They See Us") finds himself about to age out of his orphanage and leave his younger brother, Kiya, behind. But when a prospective adopting couple threatens to break their relationship apart, the brothers wrestle with the reality of never being adopted. Inspired by a true story.

The Other Side screened as part of Palpable Performances during NFFTY 2020.

To learn more about the real issues that inspired the film, you can check out the Learning Companion Guide and more information at theothersideshortfilm.com.

Set against the Ethiopian abandoned children crisis, two orphan brothers are faced with the reality of never being adopted. READ THE COMPANION GUIDE and get involved at www.theothersideshortfilm.com. Starring Ethan Herisse from Ava DuVernay's Emmy®-winning Netflix series, WHEN THEY SEE US. WINNER - Best Short - Greenwich International Film Festival WINNER - One to Watch Award - Asian American International Film Festival ACADEMY AWARD®-QUALIFYING - Urbanworld Film Festival (HBO, WarnerMedia) ACADEMY AWARD®-QUALIFYING - Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (HBO) ACADEMY AWARD®-QUALIFYING - Rhode Island International Film Festival (Flickers) ACADEMY AWARD®-QUALIFYING - Hollyshorts Film Festival Cannes Film Festival Court Métrage Short Film Corner National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) DCShorts International Film Festival SCAD Savannah Film Festival Scout Film Festival Booooooom.tv Premiere Pick Film Shortage Premiere Pick Omeleto Premiere Pick Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts - A Brave New World Independent Filmmaker Project Z Short Film Showcase "What makes “The Other Side” particularly potent as a piece of storytelling is not just its powerful portrayal of a difficult reality for many children in Ethiopia, but also how it becomes a heartrending portrait of hope: how hope is lost, but also how it is held onto, even with the most fragile and tenuous of realities that are beyond these children’s control." - Kat Ascharya, full review on http://omeleto.com/254654/ Written & Directed by: Josh Leong Produced by: Sofia Bara | Bemnet Yemesgen Executive Producers: Augustine Hong | Jonathan Ferguson | Khalil El-Ghoul | Sounil & Gracie Yu | Daniel & Carolina Bara | Jin & May Leong Director of Photography: Tom Ingwersen Edited by: Josh Leong Music by: Gavin Brivik | Sam Gryzwa Associate Producer: Sophia Heriveaux Co-Producer: Josh Leong Casting: Frehiwot Berhane Locations: Tedos Teffera Cast: Ethan Herisse | Wayna | Adonai Kelelom UPM: Yabsira Megersa AD: Sofia Bara 1st AC: Daniel Belay Sound Mixer: Beferdu Teffera Boom Op: Nahom Samunegus HMU: Temima Hulala Art Director: Cameron Protzman Script Supervisor: Olivia Fournier Stunts: Nicholas Ortiz | Angela Jordan PA: Natalie Abbey Translators: Yodahe Zerihun | Abdirebi Daniel Sound Design: Upper West Sound | Matthew Orlando Color: The Mill - NY | Andrew Ceen Marketing: Celia Tewey | Grace Sessinghaus | Gimga Group Business Development: Phillip Kearney In Association with: PLAN Shop Germany | Alexandria Capital | McLean Bible Church | Great Commission Ministries | Orphan Care Ethiopia Shot on Location in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theothersidefilm2020/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theothersidefilm2020/ IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11894288 Contacts, Rights, Distribution: Josh Leong / josh.leong@nyu.edu | Sofia Bara / sofia.bara@nyu.edu Feature Development | https://vimeo.com/404869406

LISTEN TO JOSH, SOFIA AND TOM ON THE OFFICIAL NFFTY PODCAST: EP 303

FOLLOW THE FILM AND THE TEAM:

@theothersidefilm2020

Josh: @josh_leong

Sofia: @sofiabara_

Tom: @tomingwersen