FILM FESTIVAL NEWS

Best. Day. Ever.

A Short Film

Written & Directed by Jeremy Lee Cudd

Story by Briana Garcia & Jenny De La Fuente & Jeremy Lee Cudd

Featuring Briana Garcia (Audry) & Jenny De La Fuente (Jessica)

Short Synopsis:
A business deal reunites two estranged childhood friends, Audry & Jessica, forcing a long overdue conversation that struggles to bridge the thorny gap between them at a critical moment in their lives.

Jenny De La Fuente (JESSICA, Project Development): 6+ years of Meisner Training with Neighborhood Playhouse alumni Laurel Vouvray, Jenny De La Fuente has gotten the opportunity to be a part of numerous productions in the US and Mexico. From a recurring role in the Amazon Prime series ̈An Unknown Enemy ̈ to theatre in college, and now most recently an HEB commercial, Jenny does it all. She started her training at The University of Texas at Austin where she got a B.A. in Theatre with an acting focus. She is fluent in Spanish and with the help of an NYU Film Certificate and Austin Film School, she is looking forward to stepping into filmmaking and creating her own content while still pursuing acting. jennydelafuente.com

Briana Garcia (AUDRY, Project Development): UT Theatre alumna and on-going Meisner student at In the Moment Acting, can be seen on screen in the television series Queen of the South, and in exclusive footage from the most recent Michael Brody Documentary. Aside from the occasional spotting on a handful of commercials, you can catch her on stage annually at the 14/48 Theatre Festival in Austin.

Development & Production Process: Back in May of 2020, I reached out to Briana and Jenny about developing an episode for an anthology-series idea. We met over zoom regularly, developing characters and an event that brings them together. I borrowed and adapted some development strategies from Shelton, Swanberg, and Leigh, by planning and filming a structured improv, which provided an organic foundation for script development. While I went through script revisions, we continued to occasionally meet over zoom for character development and readings. Eventually, the series idea gave way to a short film structure. Key inspirations were the climax scenes from Mike Leigh’s “Secrets & Lies” and Ken Loach’s “Bread & Roses,” as well as elements of telenovela, mumblecore, and other relationship-focused forms. We shot four half-days in late June.