Life in A Day is an autobiographical short film made during COVID-19. A few months into the pandemic, I produced the film as a love letter to the valley I grew up in, the friends & family that were a part of my journey, and the hope I had for the future. Simplifying the anxieties riddled throughout the year, what started as a melancholic view of the world we live in slowly turned into a more optimistic outlook for what was to come.

I originally intended to make the film as a submission to the official Life in A Day compilation. However, after missing the deadline, I continued to develop it as an independent short. Taking inspiration from the filmography of Mike Mills (particularly Beginners and 20th Century Women), I used mixed media for the film, blending b-roll footage, 35mm photos, and archival maps/footage. I wrote the narration and recorded it inside my closet using Voice Memos on my phone.

Acting more like a time capsule than anything else, I rewatch this film from time to time to reminisce and reflect on the person I was when the world permanently changed. It was made in a transitional period of my life, and I believe it perfectly emulates a certain feeling that can’t be explained.