Laughing Through Fire offers hilarious reflections on the day-to-day journey of making your way through the minefield of modern times – whether online or IRL – as members of the queer and trans community. Showcasing tremendous clarity of expression and style, the filmmakers behind the works in this short film program utilize humor as a guide to making sense of our increasingly convoluted world.
About The Films
ILY, BYE
Directed By Taylor James | 2023 | 13 min
Chaotic striver Siobhan embarks upon an unhinged, undercover mission in order to delete a series of ill-advised voicemails she left on the answering machine of a prospective employer.
Screenplay by Taylor James | Executive Produced by Bryan Johns, Alec Call, Will Speck, Ves Phillippi | Produced by Katie White, Callie Schuttera, John Curtis, Anna Heinrich, Kanoa Goo, Taylor James | Starring Meg Stalter, Kanoa Goo, Rainn Wilson, Benito Skinner, Drew Droege
100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu
Directed By Gbenga Komolafe | 2022 | 14 min
Nikki spices things up at her mom's struggling tofu restaurant while working to afford her breast augmentation surgery.
Screenplay by Tee Park | Executive Produced by Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Domenica Castro, Constanza Castro, Natasha Wellesley | Produced by Mireia Vilanova, Molly Hallam | Starring Austria Wang, Miju Kim Pascual, Twon Marcel Pope
Dilating For Maximum Results
Directed By Nyala Moon | 2023 | 14 min
Dreya is a Black trans woman desperate to dilate for the first time in four years so she can hook up IRL with her online boyfriend.
Screenplay by Nyala Moon | Produced by Sam Scolarici | Starring Nyala Moon, Anders Geipel, Alexandria Benford
im in love with edgar allan poe
Directed By Andrea A. Walter | 2024 | 13 min
Two goth besties search for chicken innards for a ritual to resurrect Edgar Allan Poe.
Screenplay by Andrea A. Walter | Executive Produced by Deana Kiner, Lilly Wachowski, Toni Wang | Produced by Bianca Catbagan, Lou Wang-Holborn | With Emily Basco, Derek Basco | Starring Ella Jay Basco, Blu del Barrio, Kian Talan, Derek Basco, Olga Natividad
2 Dollars
Directed by Robin Cloud | 2020 | 15 min
Feeling suffocated by their soul-sucking office job and ignorant co-workers, artist Syd finds a possible escape hatch in the form of the lottery.
Screenplay by Robin Cloud | Executive Produced by Rutina Wesley | Produced by Jordan Tyner, Tara Donovan | Starring Gabrielle Maiden, Naomi Mack, Karissa Lee Staples, Mike Caravella, Lisa Goodman, Andrew Joseph Perez, Veralyn Jones, Sydnee Washington, Ayesha Harris
RAT!
Directed By Neal Suresh Mulani | 2024 | 17 min
When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans seek retribution.
Screenplay by Neal Suresh Mulani | Executive Produced by Lottie Abrahams, Bill Ferguson III, Alex Mitow, Sam Deepwater, Neal Suresh Mulani | Produced by Lottie Abrahams, Neal Suresh Mulani | Starring Neal Suresh Mulani, Tyler Joseph Ellis, Jacob Berger, Caitlin Reilly, Charles Gould, Jack Dailey Barnes, Manny Spero, Coleen Tutton
About The Directors
Taylor James (yes… like the singer in reverse) is a retired backup dancer turned director/writer. Originally from the icy tundra of Canada, he immigrated to the US to pursue a professional dance career. Following a successful 15 year career in front of the camera, he eventually transitioned into filmmaking. Taylor cut his teeth in music videos and branded-content for artists like MUNA, Jason Mraz, and brands like Jimmy Choo, Naturium, and Pacifica Beauty. ILY, BYE is Taylor’s narrative debut.
Gbenga Komolafe is a Nigerian artist currently based in Los Angeles. As a multidisciplinary artist, Gbenga works across photo, video, textile, and sculpture - often exploring their intersections. Gbenga stitches together personal memories with greater universal motifs to explore the possibilities of a collectively imagined future where queer, black, and marginalized bodies are not only seen but celebrated. Their debut film, Winter Insect, Summer Flower, premiered at Slamdance and screened as part of the Whitney Biennal. Their second film 100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu was selected at part of Indeed Rising Voices S.2 and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Nyala Moon is a graduate of City College with an MFA in film production. Nyala was also a 2020-2021 QueerArt Film fellow, a TV writing fellow for Hillman Grad, and a Film Fatales director fellow. Nyala’s latest film, How Not To Date While Trans, has won audience and best short film awards at Inside Out Toronto’s LBGT Film Festival, Wicked Queer Boston’s LGBT Film Festival, Translation Seattle’s 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, and NewFest 22. In June 2022, Nyala was selected as a 2022 NewFest/Netflix New Voices Filmmaker Grant winner. Her film, How Not To Date While Trans, was selected for distribution through Frameline's New Voices program. Her latest short film, Dilating For Maximum Results, won the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding US Short at Outfest and Newfest. Filmmaker Magazine named Nyala one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2023. Nyala was selected to be a part of the Whitney Museum Biennal 2024.
Andrea A. Walter is a Nonbinary British Filipino filmmaker whose directing and cinematograph work have premiered at SXSW, Inside Out, LAAPFF, CAAMFest, HIFF, etc. and can be streamed on Hulu, Apple TV, Netflix, and Amazon. Andrea is currently under the mentorship of Lilly Wachowski.
Robin Cloud is an award-winning director, writer, and comedian working in television and film. A recent graduate of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, Robin has written and directed several films that have collectively premiered at BFI, Tribeca Film Festival, TIFF, and Outfest as well as many film festivals throughout the world. Her film This Old House is currently streaming on Hulu and her docuseries Passing: A Family in Black & White is available on Amazon. Cloud is a Kickstarter Creative Fellow, a graduate of Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad mentee program, and is currently a fellow in the Alliance for Women's Black Directors Initiative. She graduated cum laude from Howard University's School of Communications where she studied film under Haile Gerima and holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Architecture. Her production company, Cloud Creative Media, focuses on creating independent scripted and documentary series and films. She is represented by Metamorphic Entertainment.
Neal Suresh Mulani is a queer filmmaker and actor whose genre-bending work explores themes of self-perception, friendship & masculinity. A graduate of USC's School of Cinematic Arts, Neal's past shorts include psychological-thriller Fish Tank (2018), which screened at over 20 festivals worldwide including IFFBoston and Rhode Island International Film Festival, and From The Top (2020), which premiered at Palm Springs ShortFest where it was nominated for a Special Jury Award for Best LGBTQ+ Short. His 2022 comedy-thriller short, Tell Me Something I Don’t Know, was produced by rubbertape and reached festivals such as Outfest, Frameline, Nashville Film Festival and Palm Springs ShortFest before premiering on Short of the Week, where Mulani was praised as a "compelling rising voice, both in front of and behind the screen." He can next be seen in Fernando Andrés's feature ensemble comedy Rent Free (World Premiere - Tribeca 2024) and his own horror-comedy short film, RAT!.