Filmmakers Halleta Alemu and Elizabeth J. Cassidy combined their experiences over auditioning for major acting roles. The Mirror is a short film focusing on the portrayal of feelings surrounding self growth and metamorphosis. The short follows an actress contemplating between the lost and found components of her identity after rediscovering an old audition tape. The protagonist’s reflection is used to point towards the awakening of her own truth, slowly engulfed in discomfort over time: the identity she once pined for now wears her. The Mirror disputes with self about the authenticity of self and a query over inner conflict. Halleta and Elizabeth connected through their craft during the isolation of the pandemic, governed by a desire to create. The Mirror  was shot using iPhone and Zoom, with Halleta acting and Elizabeth directing each shot from her home in London. The Mirror is groundbreaking and unconventional in it’s process and form.

Elizabeth J. Cassidy "The anger and passion of the red upsets the melancholic blue. The red represents the actress’s burning desire to purge this version of herself she can no longer bear to see in her reflection, while the blue portrays her sense of mourning for this loss. Thus, the actress feels torn between violence and grief. To emphasise this further, both light sources created harsh shadows behind the actress, symbolising her feelings as an almost human-like presence in her life. And it is not until she accepts the beauty in these conflicting emotions that have spilled out of her to be present, without judgement, can she truly begin to start her journey towards her genuine self."

Halleta Alemu "I was in such an isolated and dark place when I wrote this poem. But, when I brought it to Eliza, who was a complete stranger to me, she immediately understood it. It blew my mind. This poem where I felt so deeply alone brought me to a relationship where I felt so seen."

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