Watch BEING HERE
SYNOPSIS
"Back Me Up" follows Charlie — a young woman in her 20s — who refuses to leave rehab in fear of losing the only sense of security she’s ever felt. Based on a true story, "Back Me Up" will start production in October 2021 in the writer/director's hometown of Vero Beach, Florida.
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"BEING HERE"
PROOF-OF-CONCEPT
Winner Best Chicago Drama - Windy City International Film Festival
Semi-Finalist - Bermuda International Film Festival (Academy Award Qualifying)
Nominee for Best Narrative Short - BendFilm Festival (One of MovieMaker's 25 Coolest Festivals in the World)
Nominee for Best Screenplay - NewFilmmakers Los Angeles
Winner Best Student Film - Magnolia Independent Film Festival
Winner Best Director - New Jersey Recovery Film Festival
Finalist for Best in Festival - Berkshire Short Film Festival
Winner Best Supporting Performer - Berkshire Short Film Festival
Winner Best University Student Film - Reel East Texas Film Festival
Official Selection:
SOHO International Film Festival
Mental Health Film & Arts Festival (Portugal)
Vero Beach Wine + Film Festival
Au Contraire Film Festival (Canada)
Newark Film Festival
Rails to Reels Film Festival
Dumbo Film Festival
CAST & CREW
SYDNEY O'HAIRE
Writer & Director
Born and raised in Vero Beach, Florida, Sydney O’Haire graduated with an MFA in Cinema Directing from the School of Cinematic Arts at DePaul University in 2018. Sydney has already directed 10 films including shorts, music videos, documentaries, and live events. These films have been selected, screened, and awarded at multiple film festivals around the world, including BendFilm Festival, SOHO International Film Festival, and Bermuda International Film Festival. Sydney was selected into the second round of the Sundance Institute Writer’s Lab, and she has continued to write several award-winning short and feature length films. In addition to being in pre-production for Back Me Up, Sydney is currently teaching the first ever filmmaking class at Saint Edward’s Upper School in Vero Beach with a curriculum she developed herself.
@sydpie (insta)
MÉLISA BREINER-SANDERS
Lead Actor & Producer
A filmmaker and actor based in Queens, NY, Mélisa received her MFA in Acting from DePaul University and her BA from Georgetown University. A producer for almost a decade, Mélisa has worked on award-winning features, shorts, webseries, and music videos that have screened at festivals such as Lighthouse, BendFilm, Adirondak, Rhode Island International, SOHO International, Bermuda International and many more. Her first feature Seven Lovers is currently available on most digital streaming platforms and stars Fran Kranz, Erin Darke, Max von Essen, and Peter Mark Kendall. As an actor, Mélisa has starred in over two dozen films that include feature films, short films, webseries, and sketches. Having grown up in the theatre, she has starred in several off-broadway and regional stage productions to rave reviews. Mélisa is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity.
@MelisaBS (insta)
MAGDALENA HERNÁNDEZ
Editor
A film editor from Bogotá, Colombia, Magdalena graduated from Universidad Nacional de Colombia with her BA in Filmmaking in 2015 and then moved to the U.S to continue her studies. In 2017, Magdalena graduated from DePaul University with a MS in Cinema Post-Production and continued her work in independent fiction films and documentaries. Magdalena’s work has been screened at multiple film festivals around the globe, such as Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, Bogota Experimental, SOHO International, Black Harvest, DocFest, Bermuda International, MSP International and many more. Magdalena currently works at Cutters Studios in their Chicago headquarters, where she has had the opportunity to work on awarded TV commercials and music videos.