Parity Pipeline

Parity Pipeline

Holding on Forever

Directed by Chelsea Christer

Stephanie's night out at karaoke with friends isn't quite like she remembers it.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • CREDITS
  • GALLERY

Genre

Synopsis

The inspiration for HOLDING ON FOREVER came from an actual night out at karaoke when I was doing a dry month away from alcohol. I remember very viscerally how HEINOUS of an activity karaoke can be when you’re stone-cold sober and everyone around you has been drinking since 7PM ...and it’s 1:30AM. That feeling of social isolation in what can be the most connected group activity was something I wanted to capture from that night. Likewise, I have a few friends who are alcoholics who have expressed how difficult and isolating being sober can be. Generally, true alcoholics are very high functioning, and it isn’t until they become sober that all their methods of coping completely fall apart and life can actually get a lot worse. Knowing these stories from friends, and then incorporating some of that further feeling of isolation into the setting felt like an interesting exploration into sobriety in a society where socialization is often centered around alcohol. But what made me really want to round out this piece and turn it into a Jonze-esque stylized escalation at the end is that feeling when you meet a stranger and you feel an instant connection. I feel like as humans, there are so many people we meet and we think nothing of it, but every now and then you meet someone and you instantly feel a connection—like you’ve met before. Platonic, romantic, doesn’t matter—it’s a feeling of being fully seen or like stardust being reunited after billions of years and lightyears apart. While it might be rare, I feel like it happens more often than not, and sometimes these connections are people who stay in our lives forever—or sometimes they’re just a fleeting stranger who makes us feel seen and understood when we’re feeling lost and alone.

Bio

Originally from Colorado, Chelsea Christer is an award-winning director based in San Francisco. She has traveled the world, producing and directing brand documentaries and commercials for companies like Google, Adobe, HP, and Dolby. These productions have taken her all across the US and abroad to places like Tokyo, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney, and rural India. As both a documentary filmmaker and scripted narrative writer/director, Chelsea’s work in each discipline focuses on deeply human stories; character studies that show moments of growth, reflections on identity, and stories of the sacrifice that can come with following a dream. She’s directed two fiction short films (We’re Just Like You, 2010, and Sierra, 2012). Both have screened at multiple festivals domestic to the US and internationally in Scotland and Australia. Her first feature-length film, the music documentary Bleeding Audio (2020), is an eight-time award winning film, screening at over 17 festivals worldwide including Slamdance, Cinequest, Dances With Films and more. Bleeding Audio secured distribution and is available on VOD.

Screening History

Cinequest 2024

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2024

Queen's World Film Festival 2024

Awards History

Queen's World Film Festival - Best Performance Nomination for Actress Short Film

Credits

Actor - Lindsey Rose Naves

Actor - Reynaldo Pacheco