The story of this derives from the director's personal experiences dealing with insomnia and depression. For Lianne, liv | dG1fVG96M2NBd1hGZzg
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My name is Leanne Richards and I am the writer and director of 99 Things I Think Of Before
00:27I Sleep.
00:30I'm outside right now because we just wrapped our last shoot.
00:34It's really cold.
00:36To many, this project is a submission of my college senior thesis, but to me it's so much
00:40more than that.
00:41This project is my way of empathizing with those who have ever experienced the uncomfortable
00:45feelings of depression and suicidal ideations that are rarely discussed in our society.
00:50This story races through the memories of an insomniac who introduces herself as June,
00:55conflicted with her own nostalgia of the many people who have gone in and out of her
00:58life has left her in the dark, questioning the peculiar cards life deals us.
01:03It's only when the sun rises does June seek a spiritual awakening to her own existence,
01:08life and the beautiful pain that lets us all feel.
01:11This poetic narrative is a personal reflection on grief, existence and the peace life gives
01:16us when we trust in it.
01:18I was inspired to make this film after I came out of a psychiatric intake facility after
01:22the passing of my father.
01:24There was when I realized that it's okay to feel pain because, at the end of the day,
01:27this is what makes us human.
01:29This is something as a director and artist I want to share with people.
01:32My hope is to show the duality of how it is to live with mental illness through experimental
01:36metaphors.
01:37We introspectively show this topic through the layers of consciousness of our main character
01:41June, but beyond the visuals of this film, it is for those who don't talk about their
01:45feelings openly, to see that they're not so alone in this world and that life is and always
01:50will be really worth living.
01:51The passion, dedication and support of my crew, professors and friends towards this
01:55film was unbelievable and beyond my wildest imagination.
01:59Each and every one of them treated this project as if it were their own, putting in countless
02:03hours.
02:04To make this film come to life, even my angel of a mother helped me by supporting the crew
02:08and I in every way possible, from craft service shopping to picking up much needed props and
02:13equipment.
02:15Making a film takes a village, and as an artist, I do not want to compromise the emotional
02:20impact this story could portray.
02:22I'm reaching out to people like you to help me bring this film home and distribute it
02:25to the world.
02:26If you decide to kindly contribute to this fundraiser, their donations will be used to
02:30help pay for film festival submission fees, post-production, including sound mixing, color
02:34grading, scoring and VFX work, and also give the cast and crew considerable pay for their
02:39generous efforts.
02:41I appreciate your time and consideration, I really hope that all of you will get to
02:44see what comes of this heartfelt story.
02:47Thanks!
02:48Bye!