When a middle-aged mom realizes her patio security camera no longer recognizes her, she realizes she may not recognize herself anymore, either, but as she mourns for her past—and to be recognized by her camera again—she discovers that her best self is now.
UNKNOWN FACE follows Kate (referred to as "Mommy"), an exhausted mom navigating the chaos of everyday life with her partner and co-parent, Mamae, their two young kids, and Kate's aging parents as her mother goes through cancer treatments.
Throughout the script, Kate's smart home security camera repeatedly fails to recognize her, labeling her as "Unknown Face" or "Person seen," while accurately identifying everyone else in the family--a technological failure that quickly becomes a metaphor for Kate's struggle with loss of self as she balances caring for both her children and her ailing mother.
The narrative weaves between sometimes humorous moments of familial chaos—spilled coffee, tantrums, missing items—and quieter reflections as Kate watches old videos of herself before motherhood, a reminder of who she used to be. But as conversations with her ailing mother put into perspective the passage of time, how quickly life changes, and even the meaning of life, Kate begins to reconcile her past self with her present.
In the final scene, as Kate walks the dog at night, the security camera finally recognizes her as "Kate seen," a sign that she has found herself again, even though the edges of her identity have evolved. The story concludes with the entire family snuggled together in bed—a testament to the messy, exhausting, but ultimately beautiful reality of family life.
Jen Heck (PGA) is an American filmmaker whose award-winning work has screened at the Whitney Biennial, Sundance, and major festivals worldwide. She has filmed documentaries from Mount Everest to the West Bank, often directing while operating camera in remote locations. Her television work includes MTV's "True Life," "Teen Mom," and "House Hunters International." Her films have garnered numerous awards and nominations including honors from New York Women in Film and Television, the Iris Prize, Cinequest, Zurich's Pink Apple, the Short Movie Awards, the Provincetown International Film Festival, the Big Muddy Film Festival, and Newfest. Her short film "Hold Up" (Sundance, 2006 - writer) was honored with inclusion in Sundance's 40th anniversary short film retrospective. She holds degrees from NYU Tisch and Columbia University.
She is currently developing a documentary about Prince with Mayte Garcia and Van Jones, a documentary about the 1984 Great Adventure fire, a feature version of her short film Salamander, and a true story about the savagery of modern small-town life called School Committee.
Finalist, CinemaStreet Women's Short Screenplay completion; Semi-Finalist, BlueCat Screenplay Competition; Quarterfinalist (still in competition), Reno Taho Screenplay Contest
