2026 | Short Film | Drama
Where? is a story about finding meaning in remembering. A daughter recalls a beach trip with her late mother who opens up about how to carry on within their current circumstances. In untangling the web of grief, it tackles healing, legacy, and cultural responsibility.
Writer & Director
Lidya Dereje (she/her) is an Atlanta-bred, Ethiopian-American visual storyteller. Her curiosity with photography was first sparked on a childhood trip to Addis Ababa, but later in her studies she felt a push to take this fascination a bit further. As an individual and visual storyteller, she centers on fostering the communities in which she coexists with. Through her work, she explores concepts of identity, nostalgia, and time to honor the range of the diasporic experience. Amidst grieving, she wrote የት፧ (Where?) to confront the conversations she never got to have - and in doing so, encourages the revolutionary act of feeling.
Producer
Lydia Asmerom-Hall (she/her) is a storyteller based in ATL with roots in Eritrea. After graduating the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Film and Television, she sought to co-found Ladibug Studios, a creative studio bridging imagination with reality. As Creative Director of the company, she wields her passions for depicting cultural nuances and building community in multi-hyphenate roles across mediums like commercial, narrative, and events as a director, producer, writer and model. With her work, she hopes to spark connection and inspire diverse audiences.
Producer
Veronica Ray Carr (they/them) is a screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker from Atlanta, Georgia. They obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Television and Film Production with a minor in Playwriting from Howard University in May of 2022. In September of 2024, Veronica gained a Master of Arts in Film Production from Solent University in Southampton, England. Veronica’s goal is to be a director and screenwriter that brings grounded and authentic stories about marginalized communities to the big screen. They believe that through their films and words they can connect to others and normalize having conversations that may usually be uncomfortable.
Director of Photography
Sydney Seabron (she/her) is an Atlanta-based filmmaker dedicated to capturing stories that touch the core of the human spirit. As the cinematographer of የት፧ (Where?), she brings her love for cultural storytelling and visual intimacy to a narrative that explores memory, grief, and the ways we carry legacy forward. Her work embraces a cinema verité style rooted in authenticity and connection to honor the depth and beauty within community, and she is proud to collaborate with a team of women/nonbinary filmmakers in bringing this story to life.
Unnamed, Mid-twenties
A young Ethiopian-American woman who is coming to understand the ways of the worlds she coexists in, no matter how difficult or painful it can be. In doing so, she aims to intellectualize her emotions rather than feel them.
Towards the end, she finds her own way of moving with the grief she carries.
Unnamed, Mid/late 50s
A woman who is seasoned with loss. She’s known grief from a young age growing up in 1970s Ethiopia. After immigrating to the States in her late teens, she learned to carry her own hurt along with others’. Similarly to her daughter, she is deeply sensitive but has an undeniable strength that masks it too well
There’s power in portraying grief in a light that is humorous, honest, and heavy. In doing so, it encourages honoring the discomfort that comes with it rather than shying away from it.
Pre-Production
Production
Post-Production
የት፧ (Where?) is currently in the pre-production phase, with filming set to begin this summer. To bring Lidya’s powerful vision to the screen with the depth and care it deserves, we are officially crowdfunding.
This film relies on the strength of community to champion stories of healing, grief, and cultural responsibility. If you believe in honoring our shared humanity through independent cinema, we invite you to support this project. Every contribution brings us closer to the beach, closer to the memory, and closer to sharing this story with the world.
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