producer Kristin Higgins
writer-director Heidi Nyburg
Based on a true story, a sheltered little girl spends an unnerving afternoon with her estranged father and is left with only her imagination to stop time and escape impending disaster.
“Five and a Half,” an unsettling drama about a little girl on an afternoon drive with her ex-con father, will make its West Coast premiere at this year’s Dances With Films (DWF) Festival, June 22-July 2, 2023 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.
Based on a true story, writer-director Heidi Nyburg and producer Kristin Higgins evoke a heightened sense of peril for little Abbie (Lauren Jude Rosa) as her mother Jess (Katherine Cozumel) reluctantly gives her just-paroled husband Chuck (James Hal Hardy) permission to take Abbie for an afternoon. As the two set off in a red convertible, there is an uneasiness that surfaces and increases as we see that Chuck is not a responsible parent. Little Abbie must utilize her own imagination and grit to survive this ill-fated outing.
Also featured in the short are Valerie Gould, Ratoya Banks and Chanden Jackson.
“Five and a Half” has been an official selection at a variety of film festivals, including the Easthampton Film Festival, the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival and was a finalist at the Canada Shorts Festival last year.
Writer-director Nyburg is a 2022 HUMANITAS finalist, and one of Women in Films Top 10, whose writing focuses on female-driven dramatic comedies that explore themes of motherhood, having/not having it all, and sometimes murder. Heidi has won several respected contests, been featured on The Blacklist for pilots and has two scripts in Coverfly’s Top 1%. She studied film, television, and screenwriting at San Jose State University and UCLA.
Producer Higgins is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Kristin made films in parallel with a software marketing career until switching to full-time film production in 2018, launching her production company River Place Productions. She has produced three short films: “Aye Boy,” which has won five awards in festivals, “The Boy’s Gone,” with three wins, and now “Five and a Half”. She has also produced two feature films, ClearMind and an untitled documentary which is in post-production.
“Five and a Half” will screen as part of the Fusion Shorts Block 3 on Wednesday, June 28 at 5:00 pm at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. All tickets are $19 prior to June 22; thereafter all tickets are $22. Tickets may be purchased by clicking on the TICKET button on the website at danceswithfilms.com/five-and-a-half/.
