In St. Louis the shared dreams (and nightmares) of a conductor father, his harpist daughter, a painter, and a poet, converge as they seek harmony against all odds.
A loving father daughter relationship develops in BROKEN STRINGS and unfolds with complexities. Black harpist, Brandee Taylor, goes to protests against her symphony conductor father’s wishes. Thomas Taylor (her father) has worked his whole life to keep his daughter safe. He fears losing her and he displays hints of memory loss. The two have a deep bond, but it’s starting to break. We see early child-parent times in contrast with their older adult selves. The local environment is also buckling with uncertainties and danger.
A haunting connection between characters moves in time and place in a surreal way. Brandee finds herself in conversation with artist Beatrice D. who has sought the end of violence in her community for 30 years. Art is her outlet to keep her soul strong.
Beatrice has taken over an abandoned house and provides shelter to other artists, as they try to make the space better. The gun violence in this area is prevalent, but Beatrice D. uses the arts to create new reactions to pain. Hints of ghost like characters such as the firefly girl, female poet, and older woman dancer slip into the story reminding us not to take life for granted.
From a mural-wall with a range of community coming together to the darkness lit by single ember, this short film pays homage to the melodies and memories buried in the streets. When a shot rings out in the end, it leaves us to wonder if Thomas Taylor’s nightmare has come true…
Catherine is an award winning writer/director, actress and musician. Her first feature film, Parallel Chords, was released theatrically in Los Angeles after winning a number of awards at national film festivals. She has taught at the NY Stage & Film Program, the Broadway Theater Institute, and been a guest artist, director and performer internationally. She is a National Film Challenge winner, and an Emerging Director finalist in Seattle. She was a kick off speaker for the Citizen Jane Film Festival, celebrating female directors, and recently she was chosen to receive a RAC grant. She is an NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) funded grant recipient for her feature length screenplay Parallel Chords, and has been commissioned to write three other screenplays. Mentioned in LA Times, Hollywood reporter and Women and Hollywood for Parallel Chords winning "Best Feature Writer" sponsored by the Writer's Guild of America, West. She is currently working on a series set in St. Louis and New York.
