''Abigail'' is a 2019 American short
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed and produced by Max Hechtman and Christonikos Tsalikis. The film served as Hechtman's senior thesis. It is influenced by a one-scene screenplay of the same name by writer Jason K. Allen and is inspired by a true story dealing with the subject matter of
end-of-life decisions.
It was first screened as part of the
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It ...
Film and Media Program's senior show on May 17, 2019 and was a year later named a quarterfinalist in
Stage 32
Stage 32 is a U.S.-based social network and educational site for creative professionals who work in film, television and theater. As of August 2021, the global web site had more than 800,000 members.
Stage 32 links professionals in the entert ...
's 5th Annual Short Film Contest. Its first public screening took place virtually on October 6, 2020 at the 2020
Long Island International Film Expo
The Long Island International Film Expo, founded in 1997 by Nassau County Film Office Director, Debra Markowitz. The festival generally receives between 400 and 450 submissions every year In 2009, 170 films from 23 countries were screened at the ...
, where it won the
Audience Award An audience award is typically an award at a film festival (or some other type of cultural festival or similar competition) which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics.
Examples ...
, and was nominated for Best Short Film, Best Long Island Short Film and Best Director. This was followed by a screening at the Point Lookout Film Festival on March 31, 2021.
Premise
A lonely and elderly widower struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife and the circumstances surrounding her death. When he visits her grave, he encounters a little girl who shows him the path to healing and fills him with hope.
Cast
* Richie Allan as Elmer
* Elvira Tortora as Abigail
* Lauren Hart as Woman at Cemetery
* Leilani Marie Vasquez as The Girl
Production
Development
Jason K. Allen's original script for the film was of just the cemetery scene. When Max Hechtman optioned the script, documentary filmmaker
Josh Koury
Josh Koury (born April 22, 1977) is an American filmmaker, best known for his documentary films ''Voyeur'', Journey to Planet X', '' We Are Wizards'' and '' Standing by Yourself''.
Koury was born in Central New York, and currently resides in Gre ...
, his professor at the time, encouraged Hechtman to expand upon it in order to fit the requirements of the senior thesis assignment.
Hechtman worked closely with his mother, Meryl Hechtman, co-director Christonikos Tsalikis and script editor Miscelleana Tsalikis to make the story fit the required 15-20 minute length limit of the assignment.
It is Hechtman's first narrative short to feature professional actors in the roles, with Elvira Tortora and child actress Leilani Marie Vasquez making their screen debuts as Abigail and The Girl respectively.
Filming
Filming took place in
Merrick, NY and at
All Faiths Cemetery
The All Faiths Cemetery is located in Middle Village, Queens, New York. The 225-acre (91 ha) cemetery was established in 1850 by Lutheran pastor Frederick W. Geissenhainer, and incorporated in 1852. Originally named Lutheran Cemetery, it was ren ...
in
Middle Village, NY from November 21, 2018 to April 25, 2019.
Post-production
Post-production on the film was completed in August 2019.
Reception
Jenna Reilly of ''Take 2 Indie Review'' gave the film 4 stars and wrote that it "not only explores the emotional toll of grieving a loved one – it also gives the viewer a powerful message of ''hope''. If we are open to receiving the signs that surround us – we realize that our loved ones are always with us and that love – ''never'' dies."
Accolades
References
External links
Official Site*
''Abigail''a
Max Hechtman's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abigail
2019 films
2019 short films
2019 drama films
American drama short films
Films about depression
Films about death
Films about suicide
American nonlinear narrative films
Films directed by Max Hechtman
2010s English-language films
2010s American films