(working title)
documentary short / in development
In 2020, I discovered an old suitcase stored in the back of my father’s closet. Inside were 65 reels of 8mm film shot by my grandfather Frank, who died long before I was born. The reels offered a glimpse of a man I never knew and helped me better understand the woman I knew as Nana. To me, Nana was hard of hearing and angry. Throughout my life, she complained that she was still alive without her husband, convinced that this was God’s punishment for her.
MY GRANDFATHER’S SUITCASE OF FILM is a short documentary film created from 8mm home movies shot by my grandfather Frank, family interviews, and a bound book of handwritten letters between Frank and his wife Lydia during World War II. Reflecting on my own recent engagement, the film unpacks the meaning of marriage in a society that rewards a woman's attachment to her husband.