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Logline

As a storm passes over a small Southern town, two long-time friends drink cheap whiskey, trade familiar jokes, and quietly avoid the looming elephant in the room that neither are ready to face.

Synopsis

Set over the course of one rainy night, The Color of a Cloudy Day (formerly ‘Elephant’) follows Charlotte and Andy, two longtime friends in a small Alabama town. Between drinks, laughter, and shared rituals, Charlotte conceals the quiet progression of an illness, while Andy clings to the comfort of familiarity and the want to care for Charlotte. As night turns to morning, their tenderness and avoidance blur together, revealing a love built on presence rather than promises — and a goodbye neither is ready to face.

Meet the Filmmakers

Cole Johnson — Writer/Director
Cole Johnson is a writer/director born and raised in North Alabama. After graduating with a B.F.A in Cinematic Arts and Theatre from the University of North Alabama, he moved to New York where he is currently pursuing his M.F.A in Film Production at New York University. Cole has won numerous festival awards for his short films, including: Best Student Film at the George Lindsey Film Festival, Asylum Horror Film Festival, and Southern Film Festival; Audience Choice Award at Sioux City International Film Festival and the Rising Tide Film Festival. In addition, his two most recent films, Bless the Child and When Things Ended, have been official selections of Orlando Film Festival, New York Shorts International Film Festival, and Sidewalk Film Festival. Cole strives to tell southern stories and bring unique characters to life that may otherwise never be seen. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Kyrah Holley — Producer
Kyrah Holley is a director, writer, and producer born and raised in North Georgia where she received her B.F.A in film at Georgia State University. Now Manhattan based, she is currently pursuing her masters at NYU in the M.F.A Grad Film program. Being from Georgia, Kyrah’s storytelling is heavily influenced by themes of the South and Blackness. Apart from directing and writing her own films, Kyrah has produced numerous short films including the Black Family Prize award winning A Shallow Grave for Toys directed by Donovan Stanley, Missing On Sunday directed by Yuqian Zhang, and Lost Time Directed by Maya Feltheimer.

Yuqian Zhang — Cinematographer
Yuqian Zhang is professional director of photography proficient in creating works using 16mm film and digital formats. Having been trained in some of the finest film schools in the world, the China Academy of Art and New York University, he has the education to match the in-field experience that he has accumulated. In 2023, Yuqian was nominated for an Oscar™ (the 50th Student Academy Award™) for a short film that he held the role of director of photography. In addition, he has had his films screened in festivals and venues around the world, including: Sundance, Clermont-Ferrand, and Venice.

Virginia Newcomb — Filmmaker
Virginia Newcomb’s octopian practice spans independent to commercial films, acclaimed television, theatre, and arts activism. She is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on performance and filmmaking, working as an actor, writer, producer, director, and creator. Her work encompasses live-cinema productions, immersive installations, and collaborative performance projects that explore storytelling through experimental forms. A proud native of Alabama, Newcomb is recognized as a polymath within her community, centering nuanced, nontraditional southern female narratives while advancing the boundaries of performance, film, and socially engaged art. She has appeared in films such as A24’s The Death of Dick Long, Jim Cumming’s Beta Test, and Lynn Shelton’s Sword of Trust.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.