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Logline

After Black nurse and physiotherapist Bessie Blount witnesses a wounded soldier struggling to regain basic independence after WWII, she decides to create a device that will allow him a simple pleasure: to eat alone. The only problem is…she’s never invented something before.

Synopsis

Defiant One follows the true story of Bessie Blount, a pioneering Black nurse and physiotherapist in 1950s, who defies the constraints of her time. Working at a Bronx Hospital, Bessie is determined to help Mr. Davis, an amputated veteran, regain a simple pleasure: to eat independently. Faced with limited resources, she uses her creativity to invent an assistive device. After months working late into the night and early into the morning, she invents the “Davis Feeder”. A genius device that straps on around the neck, then a motor to lift food into a patients mouth and automatically shuts off.

But despite the brilliance of her invention, the medical establishment dismissed her efforts and Mr. Davis’s state worsens, landing him in the ICU. Devastated by the set-backs, but knowing the device can still make a real impact, Bessie takes her invention to a live television competition audience hoping to share her work with the wider world and reach people who need it most. In the end, her persistance leads her back to Mr. Davis, where she’s finally able to give him something the system nearly stole forever: the simple freedom of eating alone.

Meet the Filmmakers

Candace Mae — Writer/Director
Candace Mae is an award-winning director and self-proclaimed ‘cool gal’ from Orlando, Florida. A graduate alum from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Candace’s films have been showcased at Oscar-qualifying festivals such as the Telluride Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, BlackStar, and the Cleveland International Film Festival, among others. Her storytelling illuminates overlooked aspects of Black culture and identity, with a signature style that blends poignant insight and humor.

Sydney Sheren — Producer
Sydney Sheren is a MFA alum of the Film & TV Production Program at SCA. Sheren is from Long Island, New York, and went to Barnard College of Columbia University, where she graduated with a BA in Political Science and Film Studies. While at SCA, she has written and directed Dinner with the Devil, which was part of the Hollywood Comedy Shorts official selection. She also co-produced the short film Scratch + Sniff, which won Best Student Film at the Hollywood Discovery Awards.

Amirah Adem — Producer
Amirah Adem is a filmmaker and MFA alum from the University of Southern California. She is originally from Stone Mountain, Georgia. She is a first-generation South African and Ethiopian American. She looks forward to being a multi-hyphenate creative in Directing, Producing, and Screenwriting. She hopes to represent multicultural stories through every element and genre of film, whether it is sci-fi, thriller, comedy.

Mehran Jafari — Producer
Mehran Jafari is a second-year MFA student at the University of Southern California. Before USC, Mehran worked on productions such as Severance, Insidious: The Red Door, and Sirens. He is a graduate of the International Cinematographer Guild Loader Training Program as well as a current intern at Vertigo Entertainment. During his time at USC, he was one of the producers for the USC Capstone film Who Smoked the Bones of St Jerome? as well as the 1st AD for the thesis films – Lí and Play by Ear. In his free time, he likes to go to concerts, hike through the national parks, and take long, thoughtful walks on the beach.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.