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Logline

A struggling young photographer and a recovering juvenile delinquent yearn to escape their farm town in Santa Ynez Valley, California.

Synopsis

Shutter Bird is a deeply personal coming-of-age drama set in rural California. High schoolers Mia Marquez, and Ray Chang strive to escape their hometown. But the psychological, cultural, and, at times, mystical obstacles embedded in their seemingly ordinary landscape threaten to keep them there forever. Mia is born of Mexican immigrants and privately battling bipolar disorder. While navigating the idiosyncratic socio-economic ladder of a farm town, she manages life by slowing it down one frame at a time through her Pentax k1000 camera. She dreams of getting a scholarship and moving away to attend art school, but in doing so also carries the weight of her parents expectations. Failure would mean working at her family’s cowboy bar with her mother ​​Tania, an awareness that amplifies her mental illness and makes her prone to mood swings.

Mia’s kindred spirit is Ray, another outsider who is on probation for stealing his mother’s prescription pad to sell pharmaceutical drugs, including Adderall to Mia. Ray grew up with Mia and they have always had a “will they, won’t they” vibe about them. Yet since Ray got arrested, he’s been a shell of himself and he’s become Mia’s friend-zone study buddy so he can focus on his own college aspirations. Mia steals Ray away to an Ostrich ranch of a wealthy family and meets a BLIND FOREMAN who gives them a prophecy. The experience rekindles their romantic spark. However, the world closes in on them. Mia’s mental health rapidly starts deteriorating. The counting down of days until the end of the school year now becomes a ticking bomb for the expiration of their time together.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Réi — Co-Writer/Director
Réi is the Director, Co-Writer, Producer of Shutter Bird. A Forbes 30 Under 30 award-winning filmmaker, he is currently developing the short film into his sophomore feature with support of The Gotham Film & Media Institute. He most recently directed the feature film Death Name for FOX Entertainment Studios. He is also in production on the documentary feature Merv and the Miracles with Executive Producer Michel Gondry. Previously, he served as Supervising Producer for Amazon’s RITUAL series. When not on set, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California.

Ayi — Co-Writer
Ayi is the Co-Writer of Shutter Bird. A Colombian-American screenwriter, playwright, actor and director from Miami. Original plays by Ayi, including full lengths Elena, Catholic All Girls School and Cris Leaves Queens, have been read, workshopped and produced as staged readings in New York, LA and regionally. She has a TV pilot in development with Gina Rodriguez’s I Can & I Will Productions and was an official selection of The Gotham Film and Media Institute’s Project Week. Adriana co-wrote IAMA Theatre Company’s main stage play, Celestial Events to rave reviews. Recently, she wrote the narrative short, The End of The Party, directed by Kate Sullivan and completed her film directorial debut with her original short, Hey You Guys.

Isabella Ferreira — Lead Actor
Isabella Ferreira plays MIA in Shutter Bird. She is a rising talent in Hollywood, captivating audiences with her versatility and emotional depth. She was a series regular on Hulu’s Love, Victor and starred in the film Crush, also for Hulu. Her recent work includes Netflix’s comedy film Incoming, alongside Mason Thames, directed by John and Dave Chernin. Additional credits include Social Distance and a recurring role on Orange Is The New Black, both on Netflix. Trained in dance, singing, and acting, Isabella brings a dynamic presence to every role and continues to establish herself as a powerful force on screen.

Dallas Liu — Lead Actor
Dallas Liu plays RAY in shutter Bird. He currently stars as Prince Zuko in Netflix’s Avatar The Last AirBender. Vox praised his performance, highlighting his “brashness and vulnerability” in the role. He played Ruihua, Awkwafina’s brother, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and in 2020, starred in acclaimed, award-nominated Hulu comedy PEN15 as Maya’s older brother, Shuji Ishii-Peters, earning praise for his performance. 

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.