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The Window - Exclusive Trailer 

An elderly woman begins to see her past through the window of her family home. She must confront life's choices and missed opportunities before the window closes forever.

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"The Window" is a poignant short film that takes viewers on a journey through the life of Vivian, an elderly woman who revisits her past through the metaphor of a window in her family home. As a child, the window represented a world of magic and boundless possibility. But over the years, societal and familial pressures slowly blocked her view, keeping her from living the life she truly wanted. Now, as Vivian looks back on her choices, she begins to confront the limitations that influenced her decisions. Faced with the weight of her past, she wonders whether it's possible to reopen the window once more and live her life differently.

Awards

Best Female Director – Nabat Shir 
City of Angels Women's Film Festival, 2024

This groundbreaking achievement marks the first time ever a director from independent and neutral Turkmenistan has debuted her film in Los Angeles. 

Best Short Film 

Golden Nugget International Film Festival, Autumn Ed. 2024

Best Screenplay (short film) – Nabat Shir 
The Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival, Summer Ed., 2024

Best Cinematography (short film) -Yuuki Shimizu

The Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival, Summer Ed., 2024

Best Sound Design - Mark Otim 
The Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival, Summer Ed., 2024

 

 

 

Reviews 

“The window becomes a single thread that embroiders Vivien’s life... It passes through her, accompanies her, reveals her, guards her, and takes care of her! A photograph that colors and fades the protagonist’s life, beautifully portrayed through the actors’ performances.”

 

— Anna Troiano, Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival

 

“More than the metaphor of the window, I was struck by the image of the little girl turning back to see herself as old. If we all had this opportunity as children — and if someone taught us to consider the entirety of our existence — perhaps we would make more deliberate choices in life. In a sense, this is an esoteric film. Cinema, perhaps even more than literature, can condense into a single image a lesson that is difficult to grasp. A ‘satori’ with a Western flavor.”

— Antonio Del Nobile, Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival

 

“The soft images and velvety camera movements capture the hidden beauty and shadows of Vivian’s life, using the window as a filter between the internal and external world. The contemplative shots and the play of light evoke the sense of melancholy and regret, making each scene a living painting. Shimizu’s ability to convey deep emotions through images brings out the visual poetry of the film, involving the viewer in an intense and thoughtful emotional journey.”

— Antonio Universi, Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival

 

 

The Window is notable for the award-winning team:

           Mark Otim, Emmy Award (2023) and Red Dot Award-winning Sound Designer, won Best Sound Design for The Window at SAIFF.

          Marina Ortega Mira, the composer, added emotional depth to The Window. She has worked with the Emmy-winning Bleeding Fingers Music collective, founded by Hans Zimmer, and contributed to projects for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and 20th Century Studios. She is a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship and the ASCAP Harold Arlen Film & TV Award.

          Yuuki Shimizu, the cinematographer, was awarded Best Cinematography (Short Film) for The Window at SAIFF. He is also the winner of the Los Angeles Cinematography Awards and Five Continents International Film Festival. He received three awards at The One Club for Creativity’s Young Ones Awards 2023: the  Portfolio Award, a Silver Cube in Film Craft, and a Merit award for Cinematography in Film Craft for Circles. He has also been recognized at Chicago Shorts, and Savannah Film Festival.

          Haley Breese, the editor, is an award-winning talent recognized with the Katie Spikes Scholarship by the Savannah Film Festival.

          Nabat Shir, the film's director, writer, and producer is the recipient of the Best Female Director Award at the 2024 City of Angels Women's Film Festival for The Window. She also won Best Screenplay for The Window at the SAIFF, Summer Edition 2024. The spec ad Mimi Meets Mio, directed by Nabat won a Bronze Pencil at The One Club for Creativity’s Young Ones Awards in 2024. She is also a Fulbrighter and an alumna of the Edmund S. Muskie Program.

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Behind the scenes

Director Statement

          The inspiration for The Window came from the films of Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Orson Welles, David Lynch, and Federico Fellini—directors known for exploring the depths of the human psyche. While these legends of cinema were all men, my goal was to create a film with depth, poetic essence, and intellectual rigor, but through a uniquely female perspective. As a woman behind the camera, I wanted to offer a nuanced and genuine depiction of womanhood, addressing themes of abuse and betrayal.

          The concept of the "window" metaphor emerged during a heartfelt conversation with a friend about how the same woman, at different stages of her life, sees entirely different things when looking out the same window. This ordinary window took on the significance of a separate character, sparking the idea for a philosophical discourse. The film invites viewers to engage with the story of an elderly woman who regrets not living her life the way she truly wanted. I was also gratified to see the film evolve even into something greater - a mirror for each person, reflecting their own personal meanings to each and prompting viewers to contemplate their own life choices that makes the short film even more universal.

          I was excited by the poetry of this idea and decided to invite the viewer to live through the protagonist’s emotions and make discoveries with her, immersing them in living poetic reality with the help of sequence shots. We utilized sequence shots in collaboration with my DP, Yuuki Shimizu. His work became a crucial part of the film's visual storytelling. Yuuki had an incredible ability to grasp my vision with just a few words, creating beautiful and deeply emotional shots that captured the depth of the actors' performances, their pain, and the unfolding events. Emmy Award winning sound designer Mark Otim enriched the film, adding auditory layers that intensified the experience. Collaborating with music composer Marina Ortega Mira was another highlight. Her unique approach, shaped by her struggle with hyperacusis, added layers of emotional depth and brought our protagonist’s inner world to life. Working with editor Haley Breese was an absolute pleasure. We extensively discussed each scene, striving to find the perfect sequence and rhythm until the film came together like a puzzle. Her meticulous attention to detail and determination in finding the best way to tell the story made the film a cohesive, harmonious, and emotionally rich work.

          We were fortunate to discover the brilliant actors Mallory Ivy and Jared Polivka, with whom impromptu rehearsals were conducted and I wrote the dialogues on the go. My aim was for their individual personalities to seamlessly integrate into the roles of the characters. Witnessing their chemistry during the initial rehearsal, my heart was pounding with delight, as I anticipated the audience experiencing the same chemistry while watching the film.

© 2024 by Nabat Shir

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