Abraxas of Emotions: Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Excitement
The first short film written and directed by Dakyum Breanna Lee.
It has won fourteen awards / honorable mentions / official selections from international film festivals all over the world. With the film, Breanna has received over sixteen promotion offers from film festival producers and directors.
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In the process of defining my life as growing up, people tend to determine the essence of something through simple dichotomy or decimals; it is simply a "good" or "bad" nature, a "happy," or "sad" moment. While there are benefits to looking at the world on such a simple scale of judgment, if we can broaden our horizons and look at our lives from afar, we will come to realize that not just happy, angry, sad, and exciting moments, but all of those rainbows of emotions have comprised our life all together.
In Hermann Hesse's novel Demian, Hesse writes about Abraxas, a god that symbolizes confrontation against the dichotomy of the world.
Through this movie, I want people to remember the lesson of Abraxas; in every moment in life, whether it is happy, exciting, or even heart-aching, all those pieces of emotions and adventure we meet are eventually beautiful brush strokes to compose a beautiful painting called life.
<The Making of the Film>
The editing skill to make animation and movies was self-taught as I have utilized editing tools since I was eleven. Moreover, since our school does not offer any film classes, I studied filming techniques (angles, lights, and camera equipment) on my own during the summer through Youtube. I also studied how to write scripts and draw storyboards by looking at Pixar scripts and storyboards on the Internet. On the day of the shooting, I asked three Media team teachers from school to help me with camera operation and equipment management. Then, I submitted my film to several international film festivals. Thankfully the film received the Gold Award in Independent Shorts Awards and was screened in eleven film festivals.
Audience Review
Awards Recognitions
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Independent Shorts Awards
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Gold Award - Best Young Filmmaker,
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Honorable Mention - Production Design
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Prague International Indie Film Festival (PIIF)
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Honorable Mention - BEST FIRST-TIME FILMMAKER
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Honorable Mention - BEST BEST STUDENT DIRECTOR
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Honorable Mention - BEST FOREIGN SHORT
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- Changing Face International Film Festival
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Best Filmmaker of 2022 (from all categories)
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Annual Winner 2022 - Best Student Film
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Annual Nomination - Best Production Design
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Student Film of the Month July 2022
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Student & Young Artists FEEDBACK Festival
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Best Cinematography - Short Film Over 10 minutes
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Indie Short Fest
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Semi-Finalist - Best Student Short
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Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival
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Special Mention - Best Student Film
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Student World Awards
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Semi-Finalist - Best Experimental Film
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New Creators Film Awards
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Official Selection - Best Student Film
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Submission Highlight
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Golden Nugget International Film Festival
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Nomination - Best Student Director
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INTERNATIONAL ART FILM FESTIVAL
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Official Selection - Student Short
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Serbest International Film Festival (SIFF)
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Official Selection - Short Film
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Paris Shorts Awards
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Official Selection - Best Student Short
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Official Selection - Best First Time Director
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Lonely Wolf 2022 International Film Festival London
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Quarter Finalist - Student Film (Short)
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Stat: top 30 shortlist in 1,804 submissions.
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Trailer
Film Interview by
Student & Young Artists FEEDBACK Festival
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I wanted to try making at least one film before I go to college to study film. So during the summer break, as I was pondering what to make the film about, I found a film festival whose topic of the year was “emotions.” Though I didn’t win in the festival, it gave me an excellent starting point to develop the main topic of my movie, “Abraxas of Emotions: Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Excitement.”
2. How would you describe your film in two words?
“Visual bildungsroman”
3. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Since I could work on my film only during the school breaks, I had such a limited amount of time; honestly, I could only invest two months or so to produce the entire film. During those two months, as a first-time filmmaker, I had to educate myself on how to produce the film while doing all the primary work (writing scripts, drawing storyboard, making a shot list, posting an audition and selecting the actors, finding locations, etc.)–– it was extremely wild and tough but also incredibly joyful and memorable.
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Since I got help from so many people who were incredibly kind to offer help, I was sort of burdened to bring out a good result. However, when my film was first completed, I was not very satisfied with my final product. I’m glad that some of the film festivals were generous enough to consider “Abraxas of Emotions'' as an amateur film with a fresh perspective made by a young first-time filmmaker.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking
about your film in the feedback video?
It literally made my day; I was having a difficult day when the video was sent to me, but the video put a smile on my face. I am so thankful to all the people who were in the feedback video and Student & Young Artists Feedback Festival for giving me such a heartwarming and meaningful experience.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I’ve always been interested in many things –– music, art, editing, and writing. While contemplating what to major in college as a high schooler, I figured that pursuing film can enable me to study all of these and produce amazing final products; of course, films are cool and fun to make and watch.
7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
Probably Moana. Animations really get into me differently; I adore how they let us tune out of the real world and enter a wondrous new one. The possibilities for storytelling and the excitement it contains are endless.
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I wish other film festivals could also give filmmakers feedback for their films: both positive and negative. More screening opportunities to communicate with more professional directors and producers in the industry will be always appreciated.
9. What is next for you?
A new film?
I want to make more legit films when I go to college and meet friends who are all talented filmmakers. Studying films and philosophy in college and majoring in screenwriting in graduate school to become a screenwriter at Pixar Animation studio is my dream for the future.
