Miller & Son (2018)
MILLER & SON is a character-driven drama that looks at the dilemma between social acceptance and authenticity. The family auto shop of MILLER & SON represents everything that Ryan has known and loved: her father, her community, her passion for cars, even her destiny to inherit the shop. Ryan compartmentalizes her femininity from her life at the garage, managing to find a livable compromise between her daytime and nighttime worlds. When an unforeseen event forces her worlds to converge, Ryan must confront her conflicting identities.
The film asks what we risk when we express our authentic selves, and what we gain. Similarly, it asks what it means to be a parent when your child’s identity seems to reject the life you lead and provide. MILLER & SON touches on universal themes of family and belonging within the specific setting of a family-owned auto shop in rural America.
Miller & Son premiered in Clermont Ferrand earlier this year, which was followed by selections at the Palm Springs ShortFest, SIFF and BFI London. The short has gone onto win two major prizes; the BAFTA Student Film Award and the Student Academy Award (qualifying for the 2020 Academy Awards). Jelinsky already has two new projects in development, a first feature dealing with a transgender love story and a sci-fi series about the relationship between humans and the environment.
Director Bio
Asher Jelinsky is a Los Angeles–based director and writer originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Jelinsky earned an MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory and holds BA degrees with honors in Media Studies and Public Health from Pitzer College. Their latest film Miller & Son was nominated for the Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, shortlisted for the BAFTA Student Film Awards, and won both the jury and audience awards for Best Narrative Short at the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
SELECTED FESTIVALS
Student Academy Awards – Winner, Gold
BAFTA Student Film Awards – Winner, Best Live Action
Cannes Lions Young Director Award – Winner, Gold
Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival – Nominee, Grand Prix
Venice TV Award – Nominee, New Talent
BFI London – Official Selection
Palm Springs International Shortfest – Official Selection
Seattle International Film Festival – Official Selection
Maryland Film Festival – Official Selection
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival – Official Selection
AFI Fest – Official Selection
Outfest – Official Selection
Ashland Independent Film Festival – Winner, Best Narrative Short (Jury & Audience Awards)
Nevada City Film Festival – Winner, Best Performance Jesse James Keitel
North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Festival – Winner, Best Long Form Dramatic Short
FilmOut San Diego – Winner, Outstanding Artistic Achievement
