Julia Kupiec is an NYC based director, photographer and occasional painter. Locked up in 2020/2021 pandemic Julia earthed herself in what really felt like her. She then met Andi who helped her realise this awakening and so became the film. Andi, a Long Beach based roller skater, discusses her journey of shedding false identities and the value of finding a safe space among found family in order to grow past trauma.

Julia Kupiec, 'This project came to life on the heels of many months away from filmmaking. Like many others, I spent the shutdown in a state of quiet reflection, living unemployed in my parents home - a turn I hadn’t anticipated my life would take, but one which I look back on with a deep sense of gratitude. I was fortunate that I was able to take that time to consider the kind of work I had made up to that point and the kind of work I’d like to make when the opportunity came again. Meeting Andi and crafting this small portrait with her and only a few close friends and collaborators was a continuation of that meditation for me.

Andi isn't a flashy project, but it is perhaps the first time I’ve made something that feels like a piece of myself - that came from a desire to craft something with care and sensitivity and intention. Andi’s immediate openness and warmth, her desire to understand herself and forge an identity that felt truthful to her was a gift to me during a time when I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to make a film that, in turn, felt like a truthful representation of me and my sensibilities. Of course, as we always do in hindsight, I have critiques of the choices I made and things I would approach differently in the project now. But regardless of that, it’s the first time I’ve been able to walk away from a finished cut and think to myself - screw it, I like this. This feels like me. And the sense of hope that came from that experience is something I believe I will always feel thankful for.'

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