reak The Cycle
THE STORY BEHIND CYCLE
“The day the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was released, I was teaching a room of 16-year-old girls how to paint. Not unlike the 50-year precedent, we annihilated the lesson plan to instead wipe away tears with dancing and Disney. How could I console the fears of these young women whose decisions over their own bodies are no longer theirs to make? I thought of our mothers who marched. I thought of my friend’s pregnancy scare at 16. I thought of the guilt and shame taught to me in catholic school. But mostly, I thought of anger for the loss of bodily autonomy for any person with the capacity for pregnancy; people with no access to safe abortions, people whose lives would be at risk, people who already have children, people who are too young, people who were assaulted, people who have the human right to choose. All of this pain exacerbated by stigma and hate.
But like our mothers, sisters, elders, and leaders, who stomped and shouted for all of us, now we must scream. One way to scream is through stories.”
– Nicole Denise White (Director)
THE PEOPLE BEHIND CYCLE
NICOLE DENISE WHITE (she/her)
Nicole Denise White is an interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY, with a focus in film, theatre, and visual art. In 2022, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Interarts Performance. As her senior year thesis, she wrote, directed, and performed in an experimental one woman short film entitled Disrupted. For the past year, she has been working freelance in Off-Broadway theaters and film sets in various roles including props master and scenic artist. Nicole seeks opportunities that celebrate unique perspectives and the exploration of incorporating different artistic forms into one practice.
AMBER AKHTAR (she/her)
Amber Akhtar is a New York based filmmaker who grew up in Michigan. She just finished up her BFA in Dramatic Writing with a minor in Producing at NYU Tisch. During her time at NYU, she wrote two features, many short films, and worked on a thesis film selected for Tribeca 2022. She has interned for companies such as The Gotham Film and TV, Cinetic Media, and The Producers Guild. In addition to producing and writing, Amber works in hospitality for UBRN playground. In her spare time, Amber loves being outside, working out, and eating yummy food.
FELICIA SOBHANI (she/her)
Felicia Sobhani was born in Switzerland to Iranian parents, grew up in Slovakia and Italy, and is humbled to call many places home. Being brought up in a cultural mosaic contributed to Felicia’s desire to tell stories from a young age. In 2021 Felicia graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts (NYU) and now works as a freelance filmmaker in New York City. From directing documentaries for non-profits and music videos, to assistant directing narrative films, Felicia uses filmmaking to explore new narratives, galvanize change and foster community-building.
ISABEL PADILLA (she/her)
Isabel Padilla is a photographer and cinematographer from Spain based in NYC. Her style explores the blurred line between photography and film, using various formats, nocturnal and surreal imagery, and merging with the vision of who she works with. Her work has included names such as Universal Music Group, Eartheater, LSDXOXO, Molchat Doma, DMX, art21, Vogue Italia, MadCool Festival, and more.
CASILDA GARCIA LOPEZ (she/her)
Casilda García López is an emerging producer and filmmaker from Spain based in Brooklyn, NY. She's worked across multi-content productions (from music videos to documentaries) both on the production and agency side as a Coordinator/PM and Line Producer. Wrangling crews of 50+ (and many less) and budgets ranging from $10K to $1M commercial campaigns as well as dealing with high-profile talent. She yearns to partake in visually and intellectually stimulating content from its creative conception to its final delivery..