9 Official Selections. 12 Nominations. 5 Theaters. 3 Major Distributions. The road to Daylight was a tumultuous, exciting, nerve-racking miracle that took 3 years, 25 cast & crew, 129 supported donations, 12 text books, 3 mentors, 35 script drafts, 62 shots, 2 days, 1 location, 4 COIs, 1 production truck, several thousands of dollars and a heaping of faith to build.
1 in 5 women in the United States are survivors of sexual assault—Daylight highlights this unfortunate reality through the lens of Daylight Writer, Director Yaa Asantewaa Faraji's untold true story.
What started as a fluke at escaping the torturous woes of pain became an overwhelming journey through the filmmaking process, and an anthem for women and survivors of assault across the globe.
"A ballet dancer struggles to cope with the realities of her new life after one night goes terribly wrong."
The story follows Amber Gardens, played by Chelsea Gray, as she traverses work-from-home life in the midst of COVID. She's living a life of dull existence with little interaction outside her roommate, Jaac (David White Jr.) and ex situationship, Jason (Ian S. Peterson).
The original script was twice as long as the final 35th draft—we were originally meant to see Amber's full life outside her COVID bubble. But budget restrictions midway through pre-production called for a last-minute pivot where 50% of the script was reduced, ancillary characters were cut, and multi-location scenes were rewritten for isolated, single-cam shots.
What became of Daylight was a poetic version of the original intended script, ironically truer to the theme and purpose of the film.
And audiences and festivals loved it.
(Pictured here: Writer, Director Yaa Asantewaa Faraji, Actress Chelsea Gray, Actor David White Jr, Tim Burton, Jesse Metcalfe, and Daylight crew members at the 2023 Film Festival Circuit )
Daylight has received Official Selections in Paris, Washington, D.C, Los Angeles, and more, playing at prominent theaters including Regal Cinemas, Laemmle Theaters, and AMC.
Daylight has currently received Official Selections/Nominations to:
The Micheaux Film Festival
Burbank International Film FestivalLA Sun Film Fest
International World Film Awards
Studio City International Film & TV Festival
Madrid Arthouse Film Festival
Vancouver Independent MovieMaker Awards
Rotterdam Independent Film Festival
Paris International Short Festival
New York International Women Festival
Austin International Art Festival
New York International Women Festival
Atlanta Movie Awards
Brooklyn International Short Awards
San Jose Independent Film Festival
Palm Beach Shorts
FEEDBACK Female Film Festival (FFFF)
DC Black Film Festival
Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
Cal Film Festival
And we're not done yet! We're so excited to continue through the 2024 festival circuit, and can't wait to see what the year has in store for Daylight. Be on the lookout for more updates, and follow us on Instagram @daylightheshort.