"Homestead" is a short film written by Jenna Ciralli (filmmaker, lead, and producer) and Skye Grace Bennett. The film follows on Tessa, a celebrated oil painter in New York, whose return to her rural childhood home brings her face-to-face with the unresolved emotional terrain of her relationship with her estranged father.
I was cast as Kelly, Tessa’s stepmother—a woman shaped by vulnerability and unfinished emotional fractures of being a rebel youth. Kelly exists close enough in age to Tessa that their relationship carries a subtle peer-to-peer tension. She embodies a version of intimacy and devotion from the father Tessa never received, becoming both a point of resentment and a quiet, painful reminder of what was lost.
Homestead was the directorial debut of Skye Grace Bennett, who's producing and production background includes Love Like Gold, Certain Women (dir. Kelly Reichardt), and Buster’s Mal Heart (dir. Sarah Adina Smith - starring Rami Malek). The film was shot by Director of Photography Logan Triplett who crafted a muted, emotionally resonant color palette reflecting the story’s themes of grief and isolation. The project was awarded a Montana Film Office Big Sky Grant.
The film premiered at the Manchester Film Festival, a BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying festival.
It was featured on Short Films That Matter, where it received accolades for performances and a five-star rating.
The film is currently on Vimeo and the link is located at the bottom of this page for viewing.
Behind the Scenes pics of "Homestead" are below (Photos: Mary Riitano)
I was cast as Kelly, Tessa’s stepmother—a woman shaped by vulnerability and unfinished emotional fractures of being a rebel youth. Kelly exists close enough in age to Tessa that their relationship carries a subtle peer-to-peer tension. She embodies a version of intimacy and devotion from the father Tessa never received, becoming both a point of resentment and a quiet, painful reminder of what was lost.
Homestead was the directorial debut of Skye Grace Bennett, who's producing and production background includes Love Like Gold, Certain Women (dir. Kelly Reichardt), and Buster’s Mal Heart (dir. Sarah Adina Smith - starring Rami Malek). The film was shot by Director of Photography Logan Triplett who crafted a muted, emotionally resonant color palette reflecting the story’s themes of grief and isolation. The project was awarded a Montana Film Office Big Sky Grant.
The film premiered at the Manchester Film Festival, a BAFTA- and BIFA-qualifying festival.
It was featured on Short Films That Matter, where it received accolades for performances and a five-star rating.
The film is currently on Vimeo and the link is located at the bottom of this page for viewing.
Behind the Scenes pics of "Homestead" are below (Photos: Mary Riitano)
Press interview | Mary Riitano: with David King, FLIC Director, Co-Producer, Judge
Click/tap here for the article: 12th Annual FLIC Festival Comes to Polson
Click/tap here for the article: 12th Annual FLIC Festival Comes to Polson
"Homestead" | program listing at the Manchester Film Festival, UK
Tapping/clicking on the image below will take you to the Vimeo landing page to watch the film
"Homestead" ~ program review on the "Short Films That Matter" platform
