Directed by Dalin Nelson
After completing her mother’s birthday present, Jade discovers a heartbreaking secret that will change her family forever. Feeling confused and isolated, Jade must decide if her mom is deserving of the gift.
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Director Biography – Dalin Nelson
Dalin Nelson is an independent filmmaker from Stockton, California. He recently graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BFA in Directing. Dalin is currently the Social Media Manager for the non-profit Stop Poaching Now, and works as a Development Intern at Eclectic Pictures (Olympus Has Fallen).
Director Statement
Throughout 2019, I was feeling extremely nostalgic because for the first time ever, I realized that my childhood was over. I was really fortunate to have a wonderful childhood full of making sandcastles on the beach and playing football in the street. I grew up surrounded by a family that loved me with everything they had.
When I was a kid, my goals consisted of staying up past bedtime and convincing my parents that a sleepover was a good idea. I wanted to grow up so badly because then I could stay up until midnight and have all the sleepovers in the world. Those goals eventually faded away, and they gave way to something new… a pain that wasn’t caused by a scraped knee.
Slowly, childhood started to become a thing of the past. I wasn’t seeing my family as often because either they had moved away or I had. My parents got divorced, and while that’s not unusual, my family was no longer what it used to be. The future had become scary because dreams were no longer dreams, they were either successes or failures. I realized I had to tell this story when my friends were experiencing similar feelings.
Life is ugly and hard, but it’s also beautiful and inspiring. The people you love the most are the ones who hurt you the hardest; and realizing that your parents are flawed is a hard pill to swallow. Jade, while a fictional character, represents something in all of us; the hope that one day everything will be perfect and that you might be able to stay up past your bedtime.
– Dalin Nelson
Los Angeles feedback film festival 
